In a vote by the House Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee, centrist Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia defeated socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York in her attempt to become the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.
According to several lawmakers who were present at the voting, Ocasio-Cortez lost Monday’s vote to Connolly 34 to 27.
Democrats’ largest caucus, the New Democrat Coalition, supported Connolly for Oversight ranking member before Friday’s vote.
“New Dems are proud to endorse our colleague, friend, and fellow New Dem Rep. Gerry Connolly for Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Rep. Connolly is a strong and talented communicator and a dedicated workhorse prepared to expertly lead the committee in defending our Democratic priorities and standing up to the Trump administration’s extremist actions. He is the right choice to advance the interests of our full caucus,” the caucus said in a statement.
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“Throughout his sixteen years on the Committee, Rep. Connolly has been a courageous and formidable force fighting against extremist GOP conspiracy theories and advancing thoughtful, commonsense legislation. As we prepare for the new Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress, the Oversight Committee Democrats will play a critical role in protecting our democratic institutions and pushing back on bad faith actors. We are fully confident that Rep. Connolly will lead the committee with a no-nonsense approach and a steady hand,” the statement added.
However, the entire Democratic caucus must still vote to endorse the Steering Committee’s choice, even after Ocasio-Cortez’s defeat on Monday.
Ocasio-Cortez’s bid was being deliberately thwarted by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who recently won reelection, according to a report published by Punchbowl News.
“Pelosi is making calls on behalf of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who is running against AOC to be ranking member of Oversight,” the publication wrote. “Pelosi has made her support for Connolly publicly known. But her behind-the-scenes maneuvering shows the amount of political capital Pelosi’s willing to put into the contest, which will be decided next week.”
From Punchbowl News’ midday newsletter: “Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is actively working to tank Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. Pelosi is making calls on behalf of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who is running against AOC to be ranking member of Oversight. Pelosi has made her support for Connolly publicly known. But her behind-the-scenes maneuvering shows the amount of political capital Pelosi’s willing to put into the contest, which will be decided next week.”
Ocasio-Cortez announced her intention to seek the position last week, writing in a letter to colleagues that “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.”
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Ocasio-Cortez participated in a sit-in protest in Pelosi’s office in 2018, which sparked a long-running conflict between the young, progressive lawmaker and Pelosi.
Ocasio-Cortez had cause to rejoice when Pelosi resigned as head of the Democratic caucus, according to a book written by left-wing writer Ryan Grim last year.
“I thought a lot of my misery was due to leadership more broadly having a thing against me. But … my life has completely transformed. It’s crazy. And it’s that that made me realize it was kind of just [Pelosi] the whole time,” she told Grim.
