WASHINGTON — Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly on Tuesday defeated New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in the race to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, as rank-and-file lawmakers favored a more senior member of the party’s caucus to take on the second Trump administration rather than a young progressive star.
In a closed-door Democratic caucus meeting, the secret-ballot vote was 131 to 84, according to a lawmaker in the room.
After the vote, Connolly told reporters the most “capable” candidate won.
“Again, I think my colleagues were measuring their votes by who’s got experience, who’s seasoned, who can be trusted, who’s capable, and who’s got a record of productivity. I think that prevailed,” he said.
Connolly said he’s “ready” to take on a Trump administration despite his recent health issues. President-elect Donald Trump, Connolly added, may feel more “emboldened” but that could make him more “reckless.”
“There is a law in this land, and we’re going to make sure it’s enforced,” Connolly said.
On the social media site Bluesky, Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Tuesday: “Tried my best. Sorry I couldn’t pull it through everyone — we live to fight another day.”
The vote came a day after the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is closely aligned with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., backed Connolly over Ocasio-Cortez in a 34 to 27 vote, according to a source.
The position opened up 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 bow out.
The full Democratic caucus also ratified other steering panel recommendations on Tuesday. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota was elected to be the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, beating Rep. Jim Costa of California, the second-most senior member of the panel. A day earlier in the steering committee, she secured 34 votes and beat out her two rivals on the first ballot— Costa got 22 votes, and Rep. David Scott of Georgia, who has held the top agriculture job since 2021, got just five.
For the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, the steering committee recommended Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., over the more junior Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M. The vote was 44 to 17. Stansbury then dropped out of the race, and the full caucus elected Huffman to the post on Tuesday.
The races for committee ranking member posts had been seen as a litmus test about the future of seniority in the Democratic Party as younger lawmakers clamored for new blood and generational change in the leadership.
But this week’s results yielded a mixed bag on that question.
Connolly, 74, is a senior member of the Oversight Committee and was first elected to Congress in 2008. Even though he announced last month he had been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, he beat back a challenge from Ocasio-Cortez, 35, the progressive hero who was first elected in 2018.
The more senior Democrat also won the steering committee’s endorsement in the Natural Resources race. Huffman, 60, who was elected in 2012 and would be the second most senior Democrat on the committee next year, bested 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. Earlier, Huffman launched a surprise challenge to Rep. Raul Grijalva, of Arizona, 76, who was elected to Congress in 2002 and had been the committee’s top Democrat since 2015.
But in the Agriculture race, the younger insurgent prevailed. Craig, 52, a Democratic “Frontliner” and one of the panel’s least senior members, knocked off the incumbent, Scott, 79, who was first elected in 1982 and had been suffering from health issues for years, and another senior member, Costa, 72, a third-generation farmer who was next in line in seniority after Scott.
“I’m ready to help us win back rural Americans and with them a strong Democratic majority,” Craig said after the vote.
At the same time, a number of senior Democrats who lead other committees didn’t face any challenges and will keep their coveted jobs in the next Congress.
Rep. Maxine Waters of California, 86, won another two years as top Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, while Rep. Greg Meeks of New York, 71, will stay on as top Democrat of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, 76, will remain ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York, 71, will keep her job as top Democrat on the Small Business Committee.
While Democrats will remain in the minority in the new Congress that begins in January, the party committee leaders would wield enormous oversight power should Democrats retake control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections.
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