Rep. Gerald E. Connolly’s plan to step back as the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee opened the door for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run again for the coveted position, setting up another internal battle for the party.
House Democratic leaders have long been at odds with the far-left “Squad” leader, even as Ms. Ocasio-Cortez grows increasingly popular with the party’s base.
House Democratic leaders are in no rush to call an election to find Mr. Connolly’s replacement.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California dodged the question when asked what the process to replace Mr. Connolly would look like. He said there was “no vacancy in the Oversight Committee.”
Mr. Aguilar said they would move forward in a way that Mr. Connolly and the Oversight Committee desired. It would be up to Democratic leaders to step up and help run the meetings,” he said.
“There is no vacancy at the committee, that’s our position,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill.
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Last year, Mr. Connolly, 75, of Virginia beat Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, 35, of New York for the party’s top spot on the committee. He had the backing of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and others of the Democratic old guard, despite progressives pushing for a younger, more liberal champion in leadership positions after the party’s humiliating 2024 election losses.
Mr. Connolly announced on Monday that his cancer had returned and he would retire from Congress at the end of the term and soon step down as ranking member on the Oversight Committee.
“The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress,” Mr. Connolly said in a statement. “I will be stepping back as ranking member of the Oversight Committee soon.”
For now, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is on the same page as the leadership. She told reporters that Mr. Connolly’s announcement was “not that he is stepping down, so there’s presently not a vacancy to run for.”
She is also no longer a member of the House Oversight Committee, instead landing a spot on another coveted House panel, the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who joined Congress in 2019, may also have options beyond the House. Some have urged her to launch a primary bid against Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York, and she’s criss-crossed the country alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist from Vermont, on the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has also amassed an impressive campaign war chest, raking in over $9 million during the first quarter of this year.
She also has a fan base in the House that wants her to run again for the ranking member post on Oversight.
Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, who, at 28 years old, is the youngest member of Congress and also a member of the Oversight panel, said it wasn’t about finding a younger lawmaker for the role, but rather more of a question of “who do I think is the person best suited to fill that position in this moment?”
“And last time I supported Alexandria, and I think she should run again, but it’s up to her,” she told The Washington Times. “There’s also not an election right now.”
A source familiar with Mr. Frost’s planning said she would consider running for the post if Ms. Ocasio-Cortez decides against another bid.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, who serves as Mr. Connolly’s vice ranking member, is also eying the job, Axios reported.
Meanwhile, Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts was tapped by Mr. Connolly to serve as interim ranking member. He said Mr. Connolly, whom he had served with for over two decades, lobbied House Democratic leaders to let him take over in the interim.
“He said, ‘I’ll be right behind you, but because of my treatment and my health condition, I need to step back,’” Mr. Lynch said. “So, you know, he encouraged me to take it.”
Mr. Lynch said that his colleague also encouraged him to run for the ranking member position if an election is called. His career as a lawyer and involvement in dozens of investigations as a lawmaker have prepared him for the job, he said.
He also didn’t think Ms. Ocasio-Cortez would leapfrog from the Energy and Commerce panel to run for the top spot on Oversight.
“Anytime a spot opens, you’d have a pile up,” Mr. Lynch said. “So that’s usually discouraged, but, you know, I don’t see that happening, but you know, in any event, I think I’m prepared to do this job.”
