Brooklyn City Council Member Chi Ossé has officially abandoned his bid to primary Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, ending weeks of speculation about whether the Brooklyn socialist, who was 27 on Dec. 5, 2025, would take on the House Democratic leader in his own backyard. Ossé confirmed the decision after failing to secure the backing he needed from the Democratic Socialists of America, the organization whose support has become nearly essential for insurgent left candidates in New York City.
Ossé confirmed on Friday that he was officially pulling the plug on a primary challenge against Jeffries, according to The New York Times. He said a campaign against the House minority leader this year would not be viable, and that he would not launch it. The Times reported plainly that he did not receive DSA backing, and so he made his exit official.
How the DSA Vote Broke Against Him
The numbers behind that decision were tight but decisive. Members of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America voted not to recommend endorsing Ossé's challenge, per City & State New York. A total of 1,205 DSA members cast ballots, with 626 voting against the endorsement, 555 voting in favor, and 24 abstaining.
The outlet reported that the organization's Electoral Working Group said Ossé had failed to win support from a majority of voting members, and that the non-binding vote made an endorsement exceedingly unlikely, though not impossible. The group had already thrown its formal support behind a different insurgent effort — NYC-DSA had endorsed City Council Member Alexa Avilés's planned primary challenge against Rep. Dan Goldman, the same report noted.
Who Is Chi Ossé
Ossé represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and parts of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, according to NY1, which also reported he was elected to the City Council in 2021 and now serves as co-chair of the council's Brooklyn delegation.
Ossé was born in Brooklyn on March 18, 1998, according to City & State New York, which also reported that he and his siblings attended Friends Seminary, a Quaker school on Manhattan's east side, for middle and high school.
A Long-Shot Bid in a Lopsided District
Even without the DSA snub, Ossé faced daunting odds. Jeffries has won his seat seven times, most recently with 75 percent of the vote, according to Politico. Ossé was among left-wing candidates running for Congress.
