Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) decision not to pursue the top Democratic position on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has triggered a wave of behind-the-scenes maneuvering to succeed current ranking member Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) after the seat became available.
The development sets the stage for a potentially high-stakes contest between established, veteran lawmakers and a younger generation of Democrats eager to shape the party’s direction on policy and messaging, The Hill reported.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), a senior member of the committee, was selected to serve as interim ranking member while Connolly underwent treatment for esophageal cancer prior to his passing last month. Lynch has since expressed his desire to assume the role permanently.
But Lynch’s path to securing the position is far from guaranteed on a committee filled with younger, ambitious members looking to move up. Several of them were reportedly prepared to step aside if Ocasio-Cortez had entered the race. However, the progressive firebrand is no longer on the Oversight Committee, having shifted to the Energy and Commerce panel following her unsuccessful bid to unseat Connolly as the top Democrat on Oversight last December.
Last month, she confirmed she won’t make another attempt, citing the party’s long-standing emphasis on seniority as a key reason her chances of winning were slim.
Her unexpected decision has reshaped the landscape, igniting a flurry of behind-the-scenes conversations about the next face of the Oversight Committee, as reported by The Hill. These discussions took place not only among members of the panel but also within the broader Democratic caucus, which ultimately voted to select Connolly’s successor.
“At this point, I feel like half the committee is wanting to run for the seat,” Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), a former Oversight member, said.
“I hear from so many members across the ideological spectrum on the Oversight Committee encouraging Robert Garcia to make a run, because he brings the talents of a newer member and being an amazing communicator, but he’s viewed as a team player,” one Oversight Democrat who spoke anonymously to discuss a sensitive topic told The Hill.
“His experience as mayor and managing an executive staff in Long Beach, Calif., paired with his ability to communicate to so many different members of the caucus — I’m just hearing from all sorts of folks advocating for him,” the Democrat continued.
Democrat strategist James Carville had some tough news and a reality check for the group in Congress known as “The Squad” in a recent interview, essentially claiming their left-wing ‘wokeness’ won’t help the party win elections.
The strategist, in an interview with Joanna Coles of The Daily Beast, slammed AOC and ‘Independent’ Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which has drawn large crowds across the country, as “counterproductive,” arguing it plays into the image of the Democratic Party as “old”, “coastal” and “urban.”
“I’ve got a great idea,” he said sarcastically. “Let’s send an 83-year-old and a congresswoman from Queens out in the country.”
“You know what they don’t do? Win elections,” he said about Ocasio-Cortez and “Independent” far-left Sen. Bernie Sanders, who went around the nation on a “Fight Oligarchy” tour. “They never beat a Republican!”
“The progressives, all they do is impress other journalists. They never beat a Republican. Tell me when one body from that wing has ever run against a Republican. All right,” he said, noting that their left-wing views are out of touch with the vast majority of Americans.
“That’s the problem. So everybody goes and says, okay, Bernie has run for president twice. He lost twice. He lost more the second time. But when I go on cable TV, or podcasts like this, the entire Democratic Party is AOC and Bernie,” he added.