Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is facing a powerful source of opposition in her bid to lead Democrats on the House's Oversight Committee: House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, with whom she has had a complicated relationship and who is now urging colleagues to back Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., for the top spot instead.
While Pelosi, like Connolly, is a senior member of the Democratic caucus who has served in the House for decades, that has not stopped her from backing other insurgent bids from younger members, including Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who conceded his post atop the Oversight Committee to challenge Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., for leadership of the Judiciary Committee. Ocasio-Cortez, 35, and Connolly, 74, announced their respective campaigns to replace Raskin earlier this month.
The contest underscores a stark generational contrast, with the younger members like Ocasio-Cortez arguing that they have more energy and ability to take on the incoming Republican trifecta. Connolly was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last month and is seeking chemotherapy treatment, a development that one House Democrat told Axios would work against him.
A spot on the Oversight Committee is a coveted position as the panel has broad investigative powers and jurisdiction over most of the executive branch of federal government. Pelosi, in conversations with lawmakers, has made clear her opinion that Ocasio-Cortez should not be entrusted with leading Democratic efforts there, two House Democrats told Punchbowl News. Pelosi's office has not commented on the matter.
It's not the first time Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez have been at odds. The former speaker and the progressive New Yorker have clashed before over the direction of the party.
Despite Pelosi's reported efforts, however, Ocasio-Cortez might already hold a clear advantage, with a House Democrat telling Axios that she "has pretty much the entire [Oversight] Committee with her." While committee ranking members (the top position a member from the minority party can hold) are recommended by the caucus' Steering Committee and then voted on by whole caucus, Axios' source noted that Ocasio-Cortez's support among committee members will hold much weight as the Steering Committee meets next Tuesday. The Democrat who spoke of Connolly's cancer diagnosis said that their "gut tells me she gets it."
Still, the lawmakers noted, leadership of the Oversight Committee is not a firm lock until the full caucus casts its votes. The current House Democratic leadership, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, has remained publicly neutral.
