Queer Buddhist Socialist Reportedly Plans To Primary Hakeem Jeffries

Far-left Democratic New York City Councilman Chi Ossé is reportedly planning to run against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in 2026.

Ossé — who is openly queer — has recently told political allies that he intends to launch a bid against Jeffries during the midterms, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Monday, citing two anonymous sources. The councilman has spoken to a variety of fellow Democrats about his plans of running, and is anticipated to officially launch his campaign against Jeffries sometime over the next few weeks, according to the NYT.

Ossé’s office and Jeffries’ office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Ossé, 27, is viewed as a close ally of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, whom he had endorsed in the Big Apple’s June 24 Democratic mayoral primary.

However, Mamdani has privately tried to dissuade Ossé from challenging Jeffries in the June 2026 primary, the NYT reported.

The dispute led to Ossé being uninvited from Mamdani’s election night watch party on Nov. 4, the NYT reported, again citing two anonymous sources.

Ossé told the NYT in a statement that he had been “hearing a lot of concern about Democratic Party leadership. It’s a big part of why I worked so hard to get Zohran elected and defeat the establishment’s champion, [former Democratic New York Gov.] Andrew Cuomo.”

“Right now, I’m focused on serving my constituents and guaranteeing the success of Zohran’s agenda at City Hall,” he continued.

Justin Chermol, a spokesman for Jeffries, told the NYT that the top House Democrat “is focused on addressing the crushing Republican health care crisis, combating [President] Donald Trump’s scheme to gerrymander congressional maps and leading the effort to take back the House of Representatives in 2026.”

The NYT’s report comes one month after after Axios first reported on Oct. 8 that Ossé was floating a run against Jeffries. Ossé appeared to laugh at a comment made by Jeffries about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a Monday post to X.

In 2021, Ossé became the youngest-ever member of the New York City Council. He is also the only Gen Z member currently serving on the city’s Council.

Moreover, Ossé said in a February interview with Brooklyn Paper he was raised as Nichiren Buddhist and began reconnecting with the practice this year. Nichiren Buddhism is a Japanese Buddhist movement, according to BBC News.

“I think a lot of people when they hear someone’s a Buddhist, assume they’re really nice or really calm, not aggressive. Those aren’t traits I’d use to describe myself,” he told Brooklyn Paper.

Ossé also joined the left-wing Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) this summer, New York Daily News reported on Oct. 14. He previously wrote in an Oct. 9, 2023 X post that he was not a member of the DSA and had not been endorsed by the organization.

If the local DSA chapter indicates it might withhold its endorsement, it could influence Ossé’s decision to run, two anonymous sources told the NYT. Mamdani’s mayoral campaign was notably backed by the DSA.

Ossé’s late father Reggie Ossé was a well-known New York-based hip-hop attorney and journalist known professionally as “Combat Jack.”