Hakeem Jeffries challenged to 2026 primary by 27-year-old New York councilman

“We welcome this primary challenge and look forward to a rigorous debate about the type of serious leadership required to deliver for the people,” a Jeffries spokesperson said in response to Chi Ossé filing paperwork to run against him.

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, is facing a primary challenge in next year’s 2026 midterm elections.

Chi Ossé, a 27-year-old New York City councilman, filed paperwork on Monday as a candidate to represent New York’s 8th Congressional District. As the leader of the Democratic Party, Jeffries, who has represented the 8th district in Brooklyn since 2013, hopes to become the first Black speaker of the House if Democrats win back the majority in the 2026 elections.

Jeffries, 55, will now have to compete against Ossé, a Democratic socialist aligned with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. The challenge arises as the Democratic Party faces some political divisions over its response to the Trump administration. That was most recently illuminated after some Democrats in the U.S. Senate voted with Republicans to end the historic 43-day government shutdown without a deal to extend health care subsidies for Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act.

Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer have faced criticism from progressive and younger Democrats who say they are not meeting the mark amid unprecedented actions taken by President Donald Trump.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Congressman Jeffries said he welcomes the challenge by Ossé.

“Leader Jeffries is fighting hard to lower the high cost of living, address the Republican healthcare crisis, combat corruption and win back control of the House for the good of the country,” Justin Chermol said in a statement, as reported by The Hill. “We welcome this primary challenge and look forward to a rigorous debate about the type of serious leadership required to deliver for the people of Brooklyn and the nation.”

Ossé had been rumored to challenge Jeffries for weeks. An internal poll of New York voters found that Leader Jeffries holds a commanding 50-point lead over Ossé, reports City & State New York. Seventy-four percent of voters polled say Jeffries is doing a good job as a U.S. representative, 69% view him favorably, and 69% said they would “probably” or “definitely” vote to re-elect him.

While Ossé is less well-known to voters than Jeffries, the Gen Z local lawmaker has a sizable social media presence and often goes viral for his political commentary and criticisms of both Republican and Democratic leadership.

“A lot of our establishment Democrats do and say more about progressives and folks who are trying to enter this party with new and fresh ideas than they do against Trump and Republicans,” Ossé told The Nation.

“I think it speaks to the fact that, you know, the one party that really does exist in this country is the party of oligarchs, right? We see them [owning] both Democrats and Republicans,” he continued. “We really see the pushback to insurgents like Zohran or AOC as a reflection of how much power those oligarchs do not want to give up, both with the help of Republicans and Democrats.”