Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani seem reluctant to support a progressive primary challenge of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
“I certainly don’t think a primary challenge to the leader is a good thing right now,” Ocasio-Cortez told Axios on Monday after New York City Councilmember and democratic socialist Chi Ossé filed his paperwork for the seat.
Mamdani also seemed to imply that Ossé’s skills could be effectively used in New York City instead of D.C.
“While I appreciate the great work that Councilmember Ossé has done on the council, especially for tenants, 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,” Mamdani said on Monday.
According to a New York Times report, Mamdani had also discouraged Ossé from running and expressed concerns that another prominent primary contest could endanger his ability to advance an affordability agenda with the Democratic establishment.
