Brooklyn City Councilmember Chi Ossé is considering a primary challenge to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.
Ossé, a Democrat who represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and parts of Crown Heights, confirmed Monday that he is mulling a bid to unseat the House minority leader.
What You Need To Know
Brooklyn City Councilmember Chi Ossé says he is considering a primary challenge to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
Ossé represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and parts of Crown Heights, while Jeffries serves a congressional district that includes parts of Brooklyn, including Bedford-Stuyvesant
In a statement, Ossé said Democratic 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”
Jeffries serves a congressional district that includes parts of Brooklyn, including Bedford-Stuyvesant.
“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,” Ossé said in a statement. “These failures are some of the many reasons why I am currently exploring a potential run for New York’s 8th Congressional District.”
Ossé, 27, was elected to the City Council in 2021. One of the council’s youngest members, he currently serves as the co-chair of its Brooklyn delegation.
Jeffries, 55, was elected to Congress in 2012. Before that, he served in the New York State Assembly for six years.
The top-ranking Democrat in the House has faced criticism from within his own party, with more progressive Democrats accusing him of failing to push back against President Donald Trump’s policies aggressively enough.
He also drew the ire of some for withholding his endorsement of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani until the last minute, only throwing his support behind the Democratic candidate a day before early voting began.
Asked about the possible challenge at a press conference Monday afternoon, Jeffries responded: “Come on in. The water is warm.”