Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is actively working to defeat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (AOC) bid to become the next top Democrat at the lower chamber's Oversight Committee, Punchbowl News reported on Thursday.
The outlet detailed that Pelosi has been making calls and campaigning on Behalf of Rep. Gerry Connolly, 74, who has been on the committee for 15 years and served as chairman of it for six. A well-liked eight-term incumbent from Virginia, Connolly has pitched himself as a more seasoned investigator.
The contest to replace Rep. Jamie Raskin, who is running to be the top Democrat in the House Judiciary Committee, is far from being a done deal. Both candidates have been canvassing the entire Democratic Caucus as they explain their vision for their potential leadership of the panel.
POLITICO reported that AOC has the support of most Democrats there, but clarified it is mostly comprised of younger, more progressive lawmakers more sympathetic to AOC and that the final decision will be made by the Steering and Policy Committee along with the full caucus.
If she wins her bid, Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the progressive Democratic group the "squad" and who reached mainstream fame by critiquing the party, would be by far the youngest Democrat to help lead a House committee, at 35 years old. She would also gain a platform to not only investigate President-elect Donald Trump's administration, but also to help her party forward as they come to terms with electoral defeat.
"This is not a position I seek lightly. The responsibility of leading Democrats on the House Oversight Committee during Donald Trump's second term in the White House is a profound and consequential one," the Bronx, who is of Puerto Rican descent, said when announcing her bid.
While Democrats will remain a minority when the 119th Congress convenes, whoever wins their bid will be in line to chair the powerful committee if Democrats retake the House in 2026, halfway through Trump's term.
AOC's candidacy comes amid an emerging trend from younger House Democrats breaking ranks and challenging their older colleagues amid anxiety over the incoming Trump administration and an early indication of where the party wants to position itself ahead of the 2026 midterms, according to Axios.
"There is growing anxiousness among younger members to get their chance," one senior House Democrat told Axios.
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