The extreme leftist clique that helped Zohran Mamdani were slammed as “Team Gentrification” by top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries’ team after threats of primaries devolved into a Big Apple Democrat feud.
Tensions surfaced after Democratic Socialists of America leaders and reps from the left-wing Working Families Party suggested that House Minority Leader Jeffries and other incumbent congressional Democrats from the city could face primaries after Mamdani’s big victory in last month’s New York City mayoral primary.
“His leadership has left a vacuum that organizations like DSA are filling. I think that is more important right now,” Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the DSA’s city branch, told CNN.
Other congressional Democrats in the city that could be targets for primaries from far-left challengers include Reps. Jerry Nadler and Yvette Clarke, the network reported.
But Jeffries’ team was ready to dig in.
“Leader Hakeem Jeffries is focused on taking back the House from the MAGA extremists who just ripped health care away from millions of Americans,” Jeffries senior adviser André Richardson told CNN.
“However, if Team Gentrification wants a primary fight, our response will be forceful and unrelenting. We will teach them and all of their incumbents a painful lesson on June 23, 2026,” he warned.
The beef is unfolding as pressure builds on state and local Democrats in the city to back Mamdani in the general election over fears they could face primaries if they don’t join the coalition. Mamdani will face Republican Curtis Sliwa in November, but former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams will appear on minor party lines on the ballot.
Cuomo lost the primary to Mamdani, while Adams dropped out of the race with his sights set on an independent run.
Brooklyn state Assemblywoman Phara Souffrant Forrest, a DSA member whose district overlaps with Jeffries’ congressional district, warned Jeffries to be careful what he wished for.
“Weird threat to make since Hakeem already went after @JabariBrisport [DSA state senator]
and I.How’d that go for him, again?,” Forrest said in a statement on X Thursday.
“2022 Primary Results:SD 22 Jabari Brisport: 70.4%. AD 57 Phara Souffrant Forrest: 67.2% If the leader wants another public beatdown, he knows where to find me,” Forrest said.
Forrest later toned down her criticism of Jeffries in a statement to The Post, but did not offer any bouquets, either.
“There are no plans that I am aware of to primary Leader Jeffries. Our districts overlap and there is plenty of opportunity for collaboration on issues of shared importance,” Forrest said.
Jasmine Gripper, the co-chair of the local Working Families Party which supported Mamdani in the primary, also warned some House members they could face a fight.
“If you are a mismatch, that does make you vulnerable to someone saying, ‘Maybe I’m a better match,’” she told CNN.
But Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres, who endorsed Andrew Cuomo for mayor and could face a primary challenge next year, defended Jeffries and said any DSA challenge to the man who could be the first black Speaker of the House only benefits Donald Trump.
“If you side against Jeffries,” Torres told The Post, “you’re doing the bidding of Donald Trump. You’re siding against the black political establishment in the US.”
Torres accused DSA members of a “double standard” by not backing Kamala Harris for president while pressuring city Democrats to immediately endorse Mamdani for mayor.
Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National Committee member from New York and a close ally of Jeffries, also slammed the DSA for picking a fight instead of helping Democrats win the House majority.
“The choice is clear: Hakeem Jeffries as House Speaker or Donald Trump continuing to rule without any checks or balances on his power,” Zimmerman told The Post.
“The DSA is being dangerously counterproductive and hypocritical,” he said.
Some lefty activists said one House member who could face a real primary challenge is Rep. Dan Goldman, who represents lower Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn.
“If Brad Lander ran against Goldman, we’d support him in a minute,” Arthur Schwartz, political director of the NY Progressive Action Network said, referring to the city comptroller, who lost in the primary for mayor but cross-endorsed Mamdani.
The tiff comes as Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor, is trying to rally people around his candidacy who did not support him in the primary — particularly black and Jewish elected officials and their constituents. He and his campaign are conducting outreach campaigns with lawmakers and Democratic leaders to expand and consolidate his support heading into the general election.
