OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:20 PM – Monday, November 17, 2025
Chi Ossé, a Democratic socialist and New York City Councilmember for Brooklyn’s 36th District, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to establish a congressional exploratory committee for the state’s 8th Congressional District — positioning him to launch a 2026 Democrat primary challenge against incumbent Hakeem Jeffries.
Jeffries has held the Democrat Brooklyn-based seat since 2013.
27-year-old Ossé is a far-left politician who has represented North Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant in the New York City Council. His father, Reginald “Reggie” Ossé, known by his professional alias “Combat Jack,” was a prominent and influential figure in hip-hop culture and media in the 1990s and 2010s.
Ossé was elected in 2021 as its youngest member, at age 23. Prior to that, he was a prominent organizer in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which motivated his entry into public office. The launch of Osse’s campaign follows NYC mayoral-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory over independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, showcasing the growing popularity of far-left candidates in the state.
Osse’s campaign also highlights the rift between New York’s Democrat establishment and lesser known socialist voices, divided by ideology and age.
“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,” Osse told Axios.
“These failures are some of the many reasons why I am currently exploring a potential run for New York’s 8th Congressional District,” he added.
Additionally, Osse had positive words to say following Mamdani’s mayoral election win.
“Socialism offers not just a structural strength to resist fascism but also a positive vision worth fighting for. That’s why Zohran won this November. During a bleak winter for national politics, his campaign became a source of hope, and I became a vigorous, early supporter. I was the first city council member to publicly endorse Zohran. I took him to events in Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights to connect with my constituents and demonstrate the case to black Brooklyn,” he told the Jacobin outlet.
However, despite their shared far-left ideology, Mamdani and his team have since privately discouraged Ossé from running, viewing it as a “distraction” that could jeopardize Mamdani’s ability to build bridges with establishment Democrats, like Jeffries, for his agenda, according to New York Post. Subsequent coverage confirmed the private pushback, with Mamdani publicly sidestepping questions.
“He said he wants to strike when the iron is hot,” an insider told the outlet in reference to Osse’s desire to run following Mamdani’s victory.
“Strike while the iron is hot? How about listen to the next mayor, who is the hottest thing in politics right now,” another insider told The Post.
The Post report also emphasized that Mamdani is attempting to walk a tightrope to establish peace between the party’s establishment figures, such as New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.), and far-left candidates attempting to recreate his success.
In response to Osse’s announcement, Jeffries’ spokesperson Justin Chermol stated that “Leader Jeffries is fighting hard to lower the high cost of living, address the Republican healthcare crisis, combat corruption and win back control of the House for the good of the country.”
“We welcome this primary challenge and look forward to a rigorous debate about the type of serious leadership required to deliver for the people of Brooklyn and the nation,” he added.
Meanwhile, the primary challenge also represents a clear ideological rift on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Osse has been extremely outspoken on the issue, labeling Israel a “terror state” while calling the war in Gaza a “genocide,” in contrast with Jeffries, who has positioned himself as one of the loudest defenders of Israel within the Democrat party.
Jeffries previously spoke at the “March for Israel” rally, while labeling U.S. support for the Jewish state as “ironclad.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below