DSA civil war brewing as Zohran Mamdani opposes member’s bid to topple Hakeem Jeffries

A civil war is brewing between the comrades.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani went to bat against a fellow Democratic Socialists of America member’s controversial bid to primary House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), calling him a “caricature” of the movement, The Post has learned.

The socialist incoming mayor attended the NYC DSA’s Wednesday night meeting where members of the lefty group were fiercely divided over whether to endorse City Councilmember Chi Ossé’s campaign, signaling possible cracks in the red wall, a source said.

“For decades, the left has hoped for an opportunity to do more than just share theories or principles, but to put those theories into Allen Iverson’s favorite word: practice,” Mamdani told the group, referring to the Hall of Fame hoopster.

“We are finally on the verge of doing just that. The choice before us is not whether to vote Chi or Hakeem at the ballot box, the choice is how to spend the next year,” Mamdani said.

“Do we want to spend it defending caricatures of our movement or do we want to spend it fulfilling the agenda at the heart of the very same movement?”

Ossé, who reps the council’s 36th District covering Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, re-joined the group this summer — which some DSA members see as opportunistic after he dropped his membership in 2020. 

But others in the DSA view it as an opportunity to grow their ranks, after their long-shot candidate for mayor ended up trouncing ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in both the Democratic primary and general election.

Some also believe it could be a replay of progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ stunning upset primary win in 2018 against longtime establishment Democrat Joe Crowley, though the firebrand congresswoman has thrown cold water on a Jeffries challenger.

Ossé brandished his socialist street cred at the meeting, lambasting Jeffries as an “enemy of the socialist movement and the broader left.”

He said he would run an “issue-based” campaign that would target Jeffries’ pro-Israel record by speaking to voters about how much taxpayer money has been sent overseas to defend the country, rather than the funds being directed toward NYCHA projects in the Eight Congressional District.

The councilman went so far as to say that he would support any future candidate running on a socialist slate – while Mamdani has been noncommittal as he cozies up to more mainstream Democrats during the mayoral transition.

Ossé even touted his endorsement of Mamdani in the mayoral campaign, which he described as a risk given some of his constituents’ support for Cuomo. Jeffries, an establishment Democrat, notably waited until just a little over a week before Election Day to endorse the party’s nominee.

“We’ve taken risks together,” Ossé said. “And because of that, I believe we can take this risk together too.”

State Sen. Jabari Brisport, who also reps Bed-Stuy, didn’t speak in favor or against the endorsement, but expressed how little love he shares with his fellow native son of Kings County.

“I live in the district. I hate Hakeem Jeffries,” he said to laughs from the crowd.

“I hope he falls into a hole,” he said to even more laughter.

Whether DSA endorses Ossé or not is expected to be revealed in the coming days.

Representatives for Jeffries did not respond to a request for comment.

A Mamdani spokesperson pointed to the mayor-elect’s comments about the DSA forum at a Thursday press conference.

“I spoke to DSA members sharing the same message that I’ve shared in public as well. I do not believe this is the right time [to primary Jeffries],” he said.