AOC distances herself from Hakeem Jeffries primary challenger
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is distancing herself from a far-left effort to primary House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries this week.
Ocasio-Cortez’s comments came after New York City Council member Chi Osse, a close confidant of NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, announced an effort to unseat Jeffries in the 2026 primary. The New York City lawmaker initially told reporters that she was “not aware” of Osse’s challenge.
“But I certainly don’t think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now,” she hastened to add.
Even Mamdani himself gave a standoffish statement when asked about Osse’s effort, despite both being members of the Democratic Socialists of America.
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“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 told reporters Monday.
The New York Post reported last week that Mamdani had urged Ossé against challenging the Democratic House leader.
His campaign marks a direct challenge to the old guard of the Democratic Party establishment from the party’s young, progressive wing, and it comes as Democrats are riding high following Mamdani’s success in New York City and their gubernatorial wins in New Jersey and Virginia.
Jeffries was reluctant to endorse Mamdani’s mayoral campaign after the socialist shocked the political establishment when he secured the Democratic nomination in June. After four months, Jeffries finally offered Mamdani an 11th-hour endorsement ahead of early voting.
New York’s 8th Congressional District covers part of Brooklyn. Ossé currently represents Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights neighborhoods.
He began his career in politics as an organizer during the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020 and was elected to City Council in 2021 at 23 years old, becoming the youngest member of the Council and its first Gen Z member.
Ossé filed a statement of organization for “Chi Osse for Congress,” through Katz Compliance, a political campaign finance provider. He has not released an official statement announcing his candidacy.
But responding to criticism that just last month he said, “It would take a very dire situation in order for me to even consider spending the rest of my 20s in DC. Just to be clear, I’m not running for Congress,” Ossé wrote on X on Monday afternoon that it “seems like we’re in a dire situation.”
Fox News’ Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
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