Democrats are choosing Representative Gerry Connolly over progressive star AOC for the top post on the Oversight Committee

WASHINGTON – Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly defeated New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on Tuesday in the race to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, as rank-and-file lawmakers favored a higher-ranking member of the party’s caucus more likely to favor the second Trump- Administration as a young progressive star.

At a closed-door meeting of the Democratic caucus, the secret vote was 131 to 84, according to a lawmaker present in the room.

After the vote, Connolly told reporters that the “most capable” candidate had won.

“Again, I think my colleagues measured their votes based on who has experience, who is experienced, who can be trusted, who is capable and who has a track record of success. I think that caught on,” he said.

Connolly said he was “ready” to take on the Trump administration despite his recent health problems. President-elect Donald Trump, Connolly added, may feel “more emboldened,” but that could make him “more reckless.”

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

The vote took place the day after According to a source, the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is closely aligned with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., endorsed Connolly over Ocasio-Cortez by a vote of 34-27.

The position became vacant after the top Democrat on oversight, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., challenged Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., for a similar post on the Judiciary Committee, prompting Nadler to resign.

The entire Democratic caucus also ratified other recommendations from the steering committee on Tuesday. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was named the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, beating Rep. Jim Costa of California, the panel’s second-highest ranking member. A day earlier, she secured 34 votes on the steering committee, beating her two rivals in the first round of voting – Costa received 22 votes and Rep. David Scott of Georgia, who has held the top agriculture post since 2021, received just five.

For the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, the steering committee recommended Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., over junior Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M. The vote was 44 to 17. Stansbury then dropped out of the race and the entire caucus voted Huffman for the post on Tuesday.

The races for committee member positions were seen as a litmus test for the future of seniority in the Democratic Party, as younger lawmakers clamored for new blood and a generational change in leadership.

But this week’s results produced a mixed picture on the issue.

Connolly, 74, is a senior member of the Oversight Committee and was first elected to Congress in 2008. Despite announcing last month that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, he fended off a challenge from Ocasio-Cortez, 35, the progressive hero who was first elected in 2018.

The senior Democrat also won the support of the steering committee in the natural resources race. Huffman, 60, who was elected in 2012 and would be the second-highest-ranking Democrat on the committee next year, defeated Stansbury, 45, a relatively junior member of the committee who won a special election in 2021.

With Huffman’s ascension to ranking member, Natural Resources will have a younger Democratic leader than in the past. Previously, Huffman made a surprise challenge to 76-year-old Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, who was elected to Congress in 2002 and had been the committee’s top Democrat since 2015.

But in the race for agriculture, the younger insurgent prevailed. Craig, 52, a Democratic “frontliner” and one of the panel’s lowest-ranking members, ousted incumbent Scott, 79, who was first elected in 1982 and had suffered from health problems for years, and another high-ranking member, Costa. 72, a third-generation farmer who followed Scott in seniority.

“I am ready to help us win back rural Americans and with them a strong Democratic majority,” Craig said after the vote.

At the same time, some senior Democrats who lead other committees have faced no challenges and will retain their coveted posts in the next Congress.

Rep. Maxine Waters of California, 86, won another two years as the top Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, while Rep. Greg Meeks of New York, 71, remains the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee. 76-year-old Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi remains the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, and 71-year-old Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York retains her post as the top Democrat on the Small Business Committee.

While Democrats will remain in the minority in the new Congress that begins in January, party committee chairs would have enormous oversight powers if Democrats retake control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections.