New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani pushed back Wednesday on a bid by fellow democratic socialist Chi Ossé to challenge House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in the 2026 midterms.
Ossé, who represents Brooklyn on the New York City Council, recently filed paperwork to explore a run against Jeffries, although he has not formally announced his candidacy.
"The focus should be right here on New York City," Mamdani told PIX11 on Wednesday. "I respect the work that Council Member Ossé has done on the council.
"I think that right now is not the time to be engaging in that kind of a primary. I think the focus should be on delivering on this affordability agenda."
Ossé, who has represented the city's 36th District on the council since 2021, endorsed the mayor-elect's campaign.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a member of the "Squad" of progressive House Democrats and a Mamdani supporter, told Axios on Monday that she would not back Ossé in a primary challenge against Jeffries.
She said she was "not aware" that Ossé was challenging Jeffries but added, "I certainly don't think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now."
Ossé said in a statement to Axios he is "exploring" a run because Democrat leadership "is not only failing to effectively fight back against [President] Donald Trump, they have also failed to deliver a vision that we can all believe in."
Jeffries, who has repeatedly dismissed the notion of an Ossé primary challenge, used a Monday news conference to signal his confidence, saying, "Come on in, the water is warm."
The filing, filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission, noted that Ossé is running as a Democrat in the Brooklyn-based 8th District, which Jeffries has represented since 2013.
Other high-profile progressives have distanced themselves from Ossé's potential run, arguing it would distract from Mamdani's victory.
"Every progressive, especially in New York, should be doing everything they can to help Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani be successful in passing and implementing his affordability agenda," Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said in a statement.
"Especially just after Mamdani's big victory and House Democrats holding firm during the shutdown fight, it is not the right moment to launch a primary challenge to Hakeem Jeffries."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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