Radical Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is distancing herself from a growing far-left effort to mount a primary challenge against House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
Ocasio-Cortez’s response is signaling a rift inside the party’s progressive wing as activists target one of its most powerful figures.
The dust-up began after leftist New York City Council member Chi Osse, a close ally of socialist NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, filed paperwork for a 2026 primary campaign against Jeffries.
Like Mamdani and Osse, AOC is a prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Asked about the effort, Ocasio-Cortez initially claimed she was “not aware” of Osse’s move.
However, she quickly made clear she does not support it.
“I certainly don’t think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now,” she said, creating significant daylight between herself and the DSA-aligned faction agitating to topple Jeffries.
Even Mamdani, Osse’s political mentor and fellow DSA member, offered a notably cautious response.
“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,” he told reporters.
The comment was a conspicuous refusal to endorse Osse’s run outright.
The New York Post reported last week that Mamdani had privately urged him not to challenge Jeffries at all.
Osse’s campaign represents a direct shot at the Democrat establishment from its youngest and most radical elements.
His run has been energized by Mamdani’s upset win in New York City and gubernatorial victories in New Jersey and Virginia.
Jeffries, who leads House Democrats and is poised to shape the party’s future, has long been a target of far-left activists who see him as too moderate and too aligned with traditional power structures.
The tension between the two camps was on display earlier this year, when Jeffries delayed endorsing Mamdani’s mayoral bid for months.
Jeffries only offered Mamdani an 11th-hour nod just as early voting began.
Osse currently represents Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights neighborhoods.
A former Black Lives Matter activist, he entered the City Council at just 23, becoming the youngest member and its first Gen Z representative.
His congressional campaign paperwork was filed through Katz Compliance, though he has yet to formally announce his candidacy.
In October, Osse insisted he had no intention of running for Congress, saying:
“It would take a very dire situation in order for me to even consider spending the rest of my 20s in DC…
“I’m not running for Congress.”
On Monday, he reversed course publicly, writing on X:
“Seems like we’re in a dire situation.”
Seems like we’re in a dire situation https://t.co/OzP4Y1pfuM
— Chi Ossé (@OsseChi) November 17, 2025
The development underscores a broader clash between Democrats’ establishment leadership and the increasingly aggressive socialist wing.
It’s a battle that is likely to intensify as 2026 approaches, even as high-profile figures like Ocasio-Cortez signal they’re not ready to take on Jeffries directly.
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