House Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee voted to recommend Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) for the party’s top spot on the House Oversight Committee. The move was a hit for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who hopes to lead the influential Democratic panel in the second Trump administration.
The next round of the two-step process will take place on Tuesday morning, when the full caucus is slated to vote on those vying for the committee’s leadership post. Although the caucus generally agrees with the Steering Committee’s recommendations, this has not always been the case.
According to NBC News, the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee — which is headed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y) — voted 34 for Connolly and 27 for Ocasio-Cortez on Monday.
The race has been part of a larger push by younger Democrats to replace veteran lawmakers at the top of committees. If she’s able to secure enough votes come Tuesday, Ocasio-Cortez, who is 35, would be the youngest Democrat to lead a House committee.
On Monday, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), 52, bested Agriculture Committee ranking member David Scott (D-Ga.), 79, and Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), 72, to lead the Agriculture Committee.
“This is not a position I seek lightly,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a letter earlier this month in a bid to colleagues. “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. Now, more than ever, we must focus on the Committee’s strong history of both holding administrations accountable and taking on the economic precarity and inequality that is challenging the American way of life.”
Connolly, however, reportedly has a powerful ally. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been gathering support for the 74-year-old candidate behind the scenes. Last week, when speaking to the National Catholic Reporter, Pelosi said that she is backing “newer members who are running for office,” adding, “This is with all the respect in the world for the chairmen who had been there and the contribution that they had made over time. But now others have come forward, and I respect the fact that they’re ready to take charge of their committees, and I support that.”
When speaking to Rolling Stone in September, Pelosi discussed her own decision to step down from the speakership and knowing when to pass the torch. Earlier this month, however, she made it clear she would support Connolly — who announced in November that he was diagnosed with esophagus cancer but has begun treatment — for the top seat. While Pelosi told Politico she wasn’t certain on who would be in the Oversight race at the time, she has “supported Mr. Connolly for that, should it be open.”
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
