Progressive New York Metropolis Councilman Chi Ossé filed paperwork Monday to problem Hakeem Jeffries for his Brooklyn-based congressional seat.
Ossé, 27, had beforehand shot down hypothesis that he was difficult Jeffries, the highly effective Home minority chief, saying in early October it might take a “dire situation” to persuade him to run for Congress.
“Seems like we’re in a dire situation,” he wrote Monday on social media when requested about his obvious change of coronary heart.
Regardless of his attempting to close down any rumors of a main problem again in October, a number of shops reported final week that Ossé was nonetheless contemplating it. He formally filed paperwork with the Federal Election Fee on Monday.
Jeffries, 55, Congress’s highest-ranking Democrat, has represented New York’s eighth District since 2013. A reasonable, he has run unopposed in primaries in 5 of the previous seven elections, and has cruised to victory usually elections within the closely Democratic district.
“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,” a Jeffries spokesman stated in an announcement.
Ossé, the Metropolis Council’s youngest member, represents the thirty sixth District, overlaying elements of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. He’s been thought-about a rising progressive star since his election at age 23. He joined New York’s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America over the summer season.
Ossé and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appeared collectively throughout Mamdani’s marketing campaign for mayor, however they’ve apparently clashed over Ossé’s plans to problem Jeffries. Mamdani, who reportedly requested him to carry off on any such problem, didn’t reply questions Monday about Ossé’s submitting. Ossé was not current at Mamdani’s victory occasion on election night time two weeks in the past.

