Mayor-elect Mamdani plans to attend DSA forum on Chi

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is expected to personally attend a Democratic Socialists of America forum on Wednesday night to argue against the socialist group endorsing New York City Council Member Chi Ossé, three people familiar with the mayor-elect’s plans told City & State. The forum will be held at a church in Manhattan from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will also be streamed on Zoom.  It is open only to members of DSA.

A spokesperson for Mamdani did not deny that he would attend the forum. Independent journalist Talia Jane tweeted earlier on Wednesday that Mamdani was likely to attend the forum.

Ossé, a 27-year-old council member who identifies as a democratic socialist and recently joined DSA, filed to run against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday. Ossé’s City Council district in Central Brooklyn overlaps with the eastern part of Jeffries’ sprawling congressional district.

Mamdani’s attendance at the DSA forum would underscore the lengths that the mayor-elect is going to in order to quash Ossé’s nascent campaign. In private and increasingly in public as well, Mamdani has tried to dissuade Ossé from running. “I think the focus should be right here on New York City … I think now is not the time to be engaging in that kind of a primary,” he told PIX11’s Dan Mannarino on Wednesday.

The DSA is internally split over whether to endorse Ossé’s planned primary challenge to Jeffries. The socialist organization is Mamdani’s political home and played a key role in his successful mayoral campaign.

Many members of the socialist organization – particularly those affiliated with the internal Groundwork caucus – are excited about the prospect of challenging Jeffries, whom many progressives see as an avatar of the Democratic establishment that has failed to confront President Donald Trump or stand up for Palestinian rights.

But others in DSA have argued that Ossé’s challenge to Jeffries has almost no chance of succeeding and if DSA goes to war with the influential House Democratic leader, it could make it harder for Mamdani to deliver on his agenda. Some DSA members are also skeptical of Ossé’s commitment to the organization, given that he previously distanced himself from DSA and only joined it recently.