To Chi or not to Chi?

A big night looms for Council Member Chi Ossé. On Wednesday evening, he’ll go before New York City Democratic Socialists of America members to pitch his case for why the organization should back his insurgent challenge against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries next year.

There’s been a lot of discourse in DSA around whether Ossé would challenge Jeffries – even before he officially opened a campaign committee Monday. After telling Axios in October that it would take a very dire situation for him to consider spending the rest of his 20s in DC, Ossé cheekily tweeted “seems like we’re in a dire situation” Monday. Democratic socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has reportedly been discouraging Ossé from running, a move that has only intensified debate within the organization over whether or not it’s a good idea.

Ossé’s pursuit of the NYC-DSA endorsement will be the first major test he faces. While he’s been a consistently progressive voice in the City Council, he joined the organization just recently. During the Wednesday forum, he’ll pitch his candidacy, take questions from attendees and then exit the room so members can debate over what he said. That gathering will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at a church in Manhattan. It’s closed to the press, but NYC-DSA members who aren’t there in person will be able to tune in via Zoom stream. 

Following the meeting, active Electoral Working Group members – specifically individuals who have been NYC-DSA members since Aug. 1 and participated in at least one electoral action over the last two years – will vote online on whether to recommend an endorsement. If Ossé secures a majority from that, he’d then need to get at least 60% approval from members of the various DSA branches across the city. Securing another 60% support from the Citywide Leadership Committee would be the final hurdle, officially bestowing upon Ossé the NYC-DSA endorsement.

Securing NYC-DSA’s endorsement would be a significant boon for the 27-year-old Brooklyn upstart if he decides to officially mount a campaign against the moderate Democratic House leader. Fresh off Mamdani’s victory in the mayoral race, the already powerful organization’s political capital has grown, making it perhaps the most significant endorser in the city right now. It’s also the only major political organization in the city that would openly defy Jeffries. And while NYC-DSA is currently weighing endorsements for a number of other candidates in their respective races, backing Ossé against one of the most prominent mainstream Democrats in the country would be a particularly bold move. Bolder even than when the organization voted to endorse Mamdani, then a little known state lawmaker, in the mayoral race.

It could be a tough sell. Opinion is split among members. Dueling google docs lay out the arguments for and against endorsing Ossé in great detail. Jeffries, whose political team has called NYC-DSA “team gentrification,” is no friend of the organization. But while there is widespread appetite on the left to oust the moderate Democrat at some point, there are serious differences of opinion on timing and feasibility.

Ossé’s supporters argue that coming off Mamdani’s historic victory, now is the time to directly take on Jeffries as the Democratic party struggles to combat the Trump administration. They’ve pointed to attributes that make Ossé particularly well-suited to do this like his communication style, his ideological similarities with Mamdani, his recent wins in the City Council and the fact that he’s a young Black man with deep Brooklyn roots. 

Opponents meanwhile have raised objections to Ossé himself, questioning his commitment to DSA given the fact that he only joined the organization a few months ago. In an op-ed in the socialist magazine Jacobin published days before the DSA forum, Ossé said he joined the organization because “the movement surge that carried Zohran into office must grow into a tidal wave.” (Ossé unsuccessfully applied for the DSA endorsement in 2021.)

More broadly, members have expressed concerns that such a challenge could threaten Mamdani’s agenda. Some have expressed doubt over whether Ossé would even have enough of a chance to beat Jeffries to make the risk worth it. No doubt the opposition of Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s opposition will factor heavily in the debate. “I certainly don’t think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now,” Ocasio-Cortez also told Axios Monday.