DSA Should Re-open the Vote to Endorse Chi Ossé

Primarying Jeffries Represents an Existential Struggle

By J. Ryder

As Democratic leadership embraces “silent defiance” in the face of Trumpism, this essay argues the real fight is inside the Democratic Party itself. There is an existential struggle between the Party’s left and right wings—and a bold challenge to Hakeem Jeffries would not just target an individual politician or leader, but the legitimacy and mandate of the Democratic establishment as a whole. The stakes of a Chi Ossé run are not one seat, but the future and potential for success of the left’s inside strategy.