NYC Councilmember Chi Ossé Files Paperwork To Challenge House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries

Despite not having the support of NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chi Ossé, son of the late Reggie “Combat Jack” Ossé, will seek to challenge Hakeem Jeffries.

New York City Councilmember Chi Ossé of Brooklyn is moving forward with his primary challenge of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the highest-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Gothamist reports Ossé took the first step to challenge Jeffries by filing the paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Monday to run in New York’s 8th Congressional District. 

In a statement, Ossé said, “The Democratic Party’s leadership is not only failing to effectively fight back against Donald Trump, they have also failed to deliver a vision that we can all believe in.”

If Ossé Is Going To Win, He’s Going To Have To Do It Without Mamdani or AOC’s Support

Ossé will have to build excitement about his primary challenge without the help of both NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). 

Ossé is trying to build off the momentum from Mamdani’s impressive electoral victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo. 

“While I appreciate the great work that Council Member Ossé has done on the council, especially for tenants, 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 of Ossé, who was a prominent supporter of NYC’s new mayor.

Axios reports that AOC “signaled” in an exclusive interview with the website that she would not support Ossé’s, 27, primary challenge against Hakeem Jeffries, 55. 

AOC said she was “not aware” of Ossé’s primary challenge against Jeffries, while also adding, “I certainly don’t think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now.” 

Hakeem Jeffries doesn’t seem rattled at all, telling reporters when asked about Ossé’s decision, “Come on in, the water’s warm.”

We are intrigued to see how this plays out. You can see reactions to Ossé challenging Hakeem Jeffries below.