Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) defended House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Monday in the face of a primary challenge.
New York City Councilman Chi Ossé, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a longtime ally of Ocasio-Cortez, filed paperwork on Monday signaling his campaign to oust Jeffries after “hearing a lot of concern about Democratic Party leadership.”
This week, despite endorsing Ossé in the past, Ocasio-Cortez said toppling Jeffries would not advance Democrats’ cause.
“I certainly don’t think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now,” she said during an interview with Axios after admitting she was unaware that Ossé was planning to challenge Jeffries.
Ocasio-Cortez is not the only Ossé ally said to be questioning his moves against Jeffries.
New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, also a DSA member, has appeared to throw cold water on Ossé’s plan, without explicitly calling it out.
“I believe that there are many ways right here in New York City to both deliver on an affordability agenda and take on the authoritarian administration in the White House,” Mamdani said Monday.
Ossé campaigned for Mamdani in the fall, saying in October that the election “is to be part of a political revolution that continues inside and outside the halls of government.”
However, Mamdani’s lack of enthusiasm for Ossé’s House ambitions comes after Jeffries endorsed Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in October, providing critical legitimacy to his movement as one of the most powerful leaders of the Democratic establishment.
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Ossé, 27, took office in 2022 for his district in Brooklyn. His move to oust Jeffries comes as many in the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party have criticized congressional leadership for their handling of the government shutdown.
The councilman also issued a challenge to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), as speculation grows that Ocasio-Cortez could run for his seat in 2028.
