Exclusive: Jeffries dismisses report of possible primary challenge

• "And you know that's not a serious question based on everything coming out of Brooklyn," he added, referring to the New York City borough he represents.
• "You know that's not a serious question."
• Ossé did not respond to a request for comment on Jeffries' remarks.

State of play: Ossé, a close ally of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, has privately discussed a run against Jeffries, Axios' Holly Otterbein and Alex Thompson reported earlier this month.

• Ossé said after the story's publication that "it would take a very dire situation in order for me to even consider spending the rest of my 20s in dc," adding later, "Just to be clear, I'm not running for Congress."
• An internal poll reported by City & State NY found Jeffries leading Ossé in a hypothetical matchup, 72% to 21%, with half of voters saying they had never heard of Ossé.

Zoom out: Jeffries' comments to Axios came just before he endorsed Mamdani on Friday.

• Progressive lawmakers and candidates have told Axios that Jeffries' months-long delay in backing Mamdani has created a serious rift between the Democratic leader and his left flank.
• Jeffries dismissed the notion that his delay in supporting Mamdani has divided the party, saying at a Friday press conference he has "traveled throughout the country, and the Democratic Party is as unified as I've seen us throughout the entire year."