Hakeem Jeffries insists he didn’t discuss left-wing primary challenger with DSA Mayor-elect Zohan Mamdani
On Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries clarified that he had not coordinated with Mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani regarding the Democratic Socialists of America’s decision to withhold an endorsement for his own primary opponent.
“No. We’re focused on making sure that the mayor‑elect is successful in terms of delivering upon both his affordability agenda as well as his public safety agenda,” Jeffries (D‑Brooklyn) said when asked if any deal had been struck with Mamdani, a DSA member.
The Brooklyn assemblyman had just last week urged his fellow DSA members in a closed‑door briefing to avoid backing Brooklyn City Councilman Chi Ossé, who was seeking the group’s support for his campaign against the top House Democrat.
When the local chapter finally voted, it narrowly rejected an endorsement of Ossé’s primary bid. A source told The Post that Mamdani’s team had tried to pre‑empt possible backlash from the minority leader by releasing a story claiming the mayor‑elect had discouraged Ossé from pursuing the challenging primary.
While Jeffries was on the ground in his eighth district that Monday, he held a press conference in Bedford‑Stuyvesant about food insecurity, a central theme of Mamdani’s campaign.
He emphasized that he had not discussed the mayor‑elect’s plan to open city‑run grocery stores—one in each borough—to make food and other essentials more affordable. “I look forward to having a conversation with him – we speak frequently – but look forward to having a conversation with him about that particular policy proposal,” he added, noting his support for Mamdani’s focus on affordability.
The moderate congressman, who only issued a tentative endorsement of Mamdani weeks before the Nov. 4 election, also did not directly address any concerns about the grocery‑store initiative.
“I think that generally, Mayor‑elect Mamdani has been strongly focused on the issue of affordability, but as he transitions from where he is not into the mayorship, it’s going to be important to figure out how at the city, state and federal level we can all align to make sure that we’re delivering on the policy things that he’s proposed,” he explained.
Ossé’s campaign had previously attempted to win over voters by contrasting federal military spending earmarked for Israel with local investment priorities.
Without naming Ossé, Bed‑Stuy Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman told Jeffries at the event that “nobody could do your job,” emphasizing the vast federal funds flowing to the district.
“It is hard going to work every day to have to fight for people to have a moral code, the decency to just have resources – for people to have food on the table, a good job and healthcare to take care of their family,” she said.
Jeffries also praised Mamdani’s decision to keep Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch leading the NYPD under the new administration. “I think that’s a great thing for the communities that I represent, a great thing for the city, and a great thing for his administration to get off to a fast start on public safety,” he observed.
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