Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Faces Major Setback as Fellow House Democrats Deliver a Blow to Her Ambitions
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York experienced a significant defeat in her initial attempt to translate her public persona into a leadership position, recent reports reveal.
The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee has recommended Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia to serve as the ranking member of the influential House Oversight Committee, according to Axios.
Ocasio-Cortez had hoped to challenge a more senior member of Congress for the role, despite facing resistance from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
UPDATE: Tonight, Pelosi successfully couped AOC from the House Oversight Committee.
— Vince Dao (@VinceDaoTV) December 17, 2024
AOC has spent the past 4 years being largely compliant with the Dem Establishment, only for them to reject her again.
Hilarious. https://t.co/BaDXVb7WgZ
As reported by NBC, Connolly garnered 34 votes, surpassing Ocasio-Cortez, who received 27. The outlet cited an anonymous member of the panel as its source.
The Democratic Party has been restructuring leadership roles in the House in preparation for the upcoming Trump administration.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland had contested Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York for the role of ranking member on the Judiciary Committee. Raskin’s success in that bid left his former position on the Oversight Committee open, spurring the competition.
re: House Oversight Committee
— Holly🍉 (@HollyBlomberg) December 16, 2024
So AOC lost out to a centrist 74-year-old repesentative from the DC suburbs after Pelosi whipped votes in his favor. The moral of the story is that AOC traded in any credibility she may have had in order to chase power & she lost 1/2
In other leadership changes, Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota emerged victorious in her bid to become the ranking Democrat on the Agriculture Committee. She received 34 votes, while Democratic Rep. Jim Costa of California earned 22, and Democratic Rep. David Scott of Georgia—who had led the panel as the top Democrat since 2021—secured only five votes.
Axios pointed out that the recommendations from the Steering and Policy Committee will be subject to a vote by the full Democratic caucus, which is not obligated to accept them.
One insider told Axios that Ocasio-Cortez faced an uphill battle in convincing members of the panel.
Today’s reminder that no change agent will be able to “nice” their way to power inside the Democratic Party — power will have to be ripped away from the establishment. They’re not gonna give it away in exchange for good manners or being a “team player.” https://t.co/MQVglsCFE6
— David Sirota (@davidsirota) December 16, 2024
The committee consists of “the most senior members,” a House Democrat told Axios, adding that their decision carried weight.
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California commented on the process, saying, “I’m gonna support Steering and Policy. I’m not on that committee, but I’m assuming they listened to the candidates and hashed through it. So, there has to be a reason.”
She also emphasized her own goals, saying, “And obviously I want to get on the committees I want to get on, so I’m not going to piss anybody off.”
Despite the loss, Ocasio-Cortez remained determined, stating that she was “locked in” and focused on “just working hard right now.”