Democrats will soon be in the market for a new leader on the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who lost to Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) for the spot last December, may not be the guaranteed successor.
Connolly announced Monday his cancer had returned and he would be stepping away from his position as ranking member “soon,” as well as forgoing reelection in 2026.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) will be serving as interim ranking member when Connolly steps down, the Washington Examiner confirmed. But Lynch is also reportedly looking to make his time in the position permanent, telling Politico he plans to seek the role and would have Connolly’s endorsement.
Attention has turned to Ocasio-Cortez to see if she’ll seek to win the top spot. It would be an uphill battle for her, as she would need a waiver to return to the Oversight Committee, after she was selected in January to join the House Energy and Commerce Committee, an “exclusive” panel.
Per House rules, members of both parties are limited to one exclusive committee and up to two “nonexclusive” committee assignments, but members assigned to an exclusive committee often generally receive no other committee assignments. It’s unclear if Ocasio-Cortez would be allowed to lead the Oversight Committee minority and remain on Energy and Commerce.
Ocasio-Cortez has other roadblocks, as well. She would be up against several Oversight Committee Democrats who may have a stronger claim to the position.
Despite having experience as the vice ranking member of the Oversight Committee, Ocasio-Cortez now would have to beat out Lynch, who could have the endorsement of Connolly. She faced a similar issue in December, when Connolly had the backing of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
Other contenders could be current Oversight Committee members Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Ro Khanna (D-CA), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL). Khanna’s and Krishnamoorthi’s names were floated during the ranking member race last year that Connolly ultimately won.
A larger reality could be that Ocasio-Cortez may not seek the position at all, moving on to larger projects since the start of the year. She’s raised considerable funds for her own warchest and upped her contributions to the House Democrats’ campaign committee. She’s also been drawing large crowds across blue and red states as she holds rallies with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
The congresswoman’s $10 million fundraising haul in the first quarter of 2025 has led many to speculate that Ocasio-Cortez could be looking to run for Senate, challenging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), or a possible bid for president in 2028.
For now, she’s not making any decisions about her future, keeping her thoughts on the ranking member race close to her chest.
“Rep. Connolly’s announcement is not that he’s stepping down, so there’s presently not a vacancy to run for,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
If someone like Crockett, Ocasio-Cortez, or even Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) challenges Lynch for the ranking membership, it will mirror the generational fight that’s occurring across the party right now as a younger crop of Democrats say it’s time to shake up the establishment after losses in the 2024 election.
In December, Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez were two of a handful of Democrats challenging leadership for new roles. Crockett challenged Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Chairwoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and lost.
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Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) defeated Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) in the race to succeed Rep. David Scott (D-GA) as the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) replaced the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) as Natural Resources Committee ranking member after Grijalva bowed out.
Several longtime lawmakers are facing primary challengers from younger grassroots activists or progressive social media influencers who are wanting to shake up the “status quo.”
