WASHINGTON — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Friday officially launched her bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, pitting the millennial progressive star against a more senior panel member, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., as Democrats gear up for a second Trump administration.
In a letter to Democratic colleagues, Ocasio-Cortez wrote that she understood the gravity of leading the panel in the next Congress with Trump back in the White House. The committee, she said, must focus on both congressional oversight and improving life for everyday Americans.
“In the 119th Congress, Oversight Committee Democrats will face an important task: we must balance our focus on the incoming president’s corrosive actions and corruption with a tangible fight to make life easier for America’s working class,” Ocasio-Cortez told her Democratic colleagues, who will soon vote on who should lead committees for the party while the House is under Republican control in the new 119th Congress.
Her announcement came after NBC News reported Thursday night that Ocasio-Cortez — who goes by the nickname AOC — had begun informing House colleagues that she was running to be the top Democrat on the influential Oversight Committee, according to three Democratic lawmakers who said they had had conversations with her.
Ocasio-Cortez told at least two of those lawmakers during votes on the House floor Thursday evening that she is throwing her hat in the ring to lead Democrats on the committee. A third Democratic lawmaker said they were told by Ocasio-Cortez, 35, this week that she was definitely running.
A fourth Democrat and fellow New Yorker, Rep. Yvette Clarke, told NBC News on Friday morning that Ocasio-Cortez personally asked for her endorsement earlier this week. Clarke, the incoming chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she’ll hold off on announcing any public support until after a CBC candidates forum next week.
“She has to make her case,” Clarke said. “Members have relationships, and those are built over time.”
The bold move by Ocasio-Cortez, 35, sets up a clash with Connolly, 74, currently the fourth most senior committee Democrat, who announced earlier this week he was running for the top job. The contest will serve as a gauge of whether the Democratic caucus still values seniority or truly wants generational change.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a fellow progressive leader who serves with Ocasio-Cortez on the committee, declined to discuss their private conversations but endorsed her for the job.
“AOC is very collaborative on the committee and helps lift up all members,” Khanna said in a brief interview Thursday. “She has been so passionate about the work of this committee for two years as vice chair, and we need progressives moving into leadership in our Congress and country to enact a working-class agenda. I’m all in for her.”
The Oversight Committee will be critical for Democrats as they try to combat the incoming Trump administration and ride herd on the president-elect and his allies, who have vowed to take retribution on enemies and flout other political norms in Washington. If Democrats win back control of the House in the 2026 midterms, the new Oversight chairperson would have broad power to subpoena and investigate the Trump administration.
The post opened up after Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., 61, who held the job this Congress, mounted an insurgent challenge to Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., 77, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. With Raskin surging, Nadler dropped out of the Judiciary race and endorsed Raskin, all but guaranteeing him the role.
Top aides to Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Ocasio-Cortez appeared to be leaning into a bid for the Oversight job Wednesday.
“I’m certainly interested in the position. I’m having a lot of conversations with my colleagues,” she said. “And, you know, I think it’s incredibly important that we prepare ourselves fully for an incoming Trump administration, as well as fighting for everyday working Americans.”
She added that she has nothing but “tremendous respect and admiration for Gerry Connolly.”
“He’s just an absolutely fantastic leader, and I think we both bring assets to the committee, which is a big part of why the committee’s been effective. I love Gerry,” she said.
Connolly told reporters Wednesday that a potential race against Ocasio-Cortez would present a stark choice for Democratic colleagues: He said he has much more experience. He was first elected to Congress in 2008; she achieved political fame by knocking off Joe Crowley, of New York, then the Democratic caucus chairman in a primary in 2018.
But Connolly also is dealing with health issues. Shortly after last month’s election, he announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus.
“To me it’s not generational. It’s about experience and record and capability, and that’s how I’ve got to present it,” Connolly told reporters Wednesday. “And she’s a new talent and has a lot of promise, but I’m the only one in the race … who, in fact, has [led] a subcommittee. I think that’s really important.”
The Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is closely aligned with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is planning to make recommendations for committee leaders later this month. After that, all 215 House Democrats who will serve in the new Congress will vote on who they want as their committee leaders for the 119th Congress.
Syedah Asghar
contributed
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