U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) faces a do-or-die decision in the government shutdown, one that may determine whether he returns to Congress in 2027.
The squabbling Democratic leader is urging his caucus to stand firm as the shutdown continues into its second week. While he has insisted that a deal is contingent on the funding of Obamacare subsidies, the demand is also widely viewed as a pretext for what the party’s base really wants: a fight, regardless of the consequences.
That stream of pugnaciousness also carries the potential for a primary challenger to Jeffries, who will turn 56 next year.
New York City Council member Chi Ossé, a close ally of socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, is strongly considering taking on the House’s top Democrat, according to sources familiar with his thinking. At 27, the fellow socialist would be one year younger than “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) when she upended former Rep. Joseph Crowley, a 10-term lawmaker and chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
The sapphire blue bend of New York City ensures that no Democrat is safe on their left flank, especially as progressive voters grow increasingly agitated with the party’s seeming inability to find purchase in its opposition to President Donald Trump. Jeffries, like U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), remains a top target for activists’ ire.
Even the suggestion that a primary challenge is fomenting threatens to further isolate Jeffries, who so far has declined to endorse Mamdani. Osśe has spoken privately with progressive groups about the possibility of taking on the senior House leader, according to Axios.
State Sen. Jabari Brisport, another progressive viewed locally as an aspirant for higher office, ruled out a run against Jeffries earlier this year, CNN reported.
But the Brooklyn-born Jeffries has signaled he is ready to put up a fight.
His political team has begun to refer to the socialists as “Team Gentrification,” an insulting reference to the whiter and wealthier base of Democratic voters who helped elect them. It also speaks to the revulsion Democratic lawmakers feel when told by far-left New Yorkers that they are out of touch with where the party’s grassroots sit today.
Other New York incumbents floated for challenges by Mamdani’s allies include Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Dan Goldman (D-NY), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY).
Jeffries, in turn, has promised to use his political operation to target socialist members of the state legislature if they mount challenges to his seat or other sitting Democrats in Congress.
“Leader Hakeem Jeffries is focused on taking back the House from the MAGA extremists who just ripped health care away from millions of Americans,” Jeffries’s senior adviser, André Richardson, told CNN. “However, if Team Gentrification wants a primary fight, our response will be forceful and unrelenting. We will teach them and all of their incumbents a painful lesson on June 23, 2026.”
, 2025-10-09 14:13:00, 
, Trending Politics Conservative Breaking News and Commentary, %%https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/cropped-tp-fav-2-32×32.png, https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/feed/, Mark Steffen
