Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s (D-NY) bid to become the most powerful Democrat on the influential House Oversight Committee took a fatal blow Monday after the party’s steering committee selected Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) over the progressive “Squad” member.
The Democrats’ steering committee selected Connolly, who had the backing of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), over Ocasio-Cortez during its meeting Monday evening, according to reports.
Connolly has served 16 years on the Oversight Committee, but his candidacy faced concerns due to his recent cancer diagnosis. House Democrats have also been reckoning with the party’s 2024 losses, sparking a movement to usher fresh voices such as Ocasio-Cortez into Democratic leadership.
Ocasio-Cortez was backed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus, while the New Democrat Coalition supported Connolly. Pelosi, who fractured her hip over the weekend, was rumored to be whipping votes on behalf of Connolly, which likely led to his success.
The New York congresswoman’s steering committee loss for the leadership spot is a significant setback for progressives, who have been vocal about rekindling the Democrats’ relationship with working-class voters since the 2024 election showed blue-collar support trending toward President-elect Donald Trump.
However, despite losing the support of the steering committee, Ocasio-Cortez still plans to move forward with the full caucus vote, one House Democrat confirmed to the Washington Examiner, where she may have better chances.
“And she still has a path to win,” the House Democrat said.
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Still, the steering committee’s selection of Connolly may signify that the Democratic Party is not ready to heed the wishes of younger members to reshape the caucus.
The results of the 2024 election highlighted a stark generational divide between the older establishment of the party and the newer generation of lawmakers, such as Ocasio-Cortez, who are well-versed in social media and unafraid to go toe-to-toe with their colleagues both across the aisle and within the Democratic Party.
