AOC loses bid to become Democratic front-runner on the powerful House Oversight Committee

Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., lost in her bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, losing to Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia.

Connolly, 74, defeated Ocasio-Cortez, 35, by a vote of 131 to 84, seen as a blow to progressives who supported Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the progressive “Squad.”

“I thank my colleagues for their support and the trust they have placed in me to lead House Democrats on the Oversight Committee,” Connolly said in a statement following his election by the House Democratic Caucus.

Connolly called out “the Republican playbook,” accusing Republicans of using “debunked conspiracy theories” and enabling “the worst abuses of the Trump administration.”

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The House Democratic Caucus elected Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee over progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., by a vote of 131-84. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

“This will be trench warfare,” Connolly said. “Now is not the time to be shy. I promise the American people that our Democrats on the committee will be a beacon of truth and will be prepared to counter Republican gaslighting from day one.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., lost her bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

When Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram asked Connolly if he was ready for a possible fight against the Trump administration, Connolly said he was “ready to go.”

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“I’ve done this for four years and beat them multiple times and I can’t wait to get back at it,” he said.

Connolly said President-elect Trump “may feel bolder” after his re-election win, although “that might also make him more reckless.”

“There is a law in this country and we will make sure it is enforced,” Connolly said.

When Connolly was asked if he faced a possible fight with the Trump administration, he said he was “ready to go.” (Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images, File)

In his written statement, Connolly said Democrats would be “disciplined” and “focused on delivering results on the kitchen table issues that matter most to the American people.”

“We will stand up for our democracy and for the truth,” the statement said. “And we will protect the tremendous and historic progress we have made as Democrats in the House of Representatives.”

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Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.