Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told reporters on Tuesday that she is considering a bid to lead Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, a panel with broad powers of investigation over the federal government. She is easily the most high-profile figure among a group of younger lawmakers challenging their more senior colleagues for top roles on House committees, upending more traditional rules of succession.
The current ranking member, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., 61, is fighting to wrest the top Democratic post in the House Judiciary Committee from Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who is 77, leaving his own perch atop the Oversight Committee vacant. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., 74, was the first to announce that he would run to replace Raskin. Ocasio-Cortez, 35, made her comments expressing interest shortly afterwards, saying that she has had “a lot of outreach from colleagues” and would be “making a decision shortly.”
Other Democratic members of the Oversight Committee could also join in the race, with Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Steven Lynch, D-Mass., among the names being mentioned.
The looming confrontations on the oversight and judiciary committees are the latest salvos in a wider generational battle playing out across the Democratic caucus, with younger challengers arguing that some of their older counterparts lack the ability and drive to confront an incoming GOP trifecta. Reps. Angie Craig, D-Minn., and Jim Costa, D-Calif., are both running against Agriculture Committee ranking member Rep. David Scott, D-Georgia., while a challenge from Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., in the Natural Resources committee prompted ranking member Rep. Raúl Grijlava, D-Ariz., to withdraw his re-election bid.
Both ranking members have faced concerns about their age and health, with some members observing that Scott in particular has had trouble carrying out substantive conversations without reading from a script.
The Democratic leadership has publicly maintained neutrality on the committee fights, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., telling reporters that “the challengers speak for themselves.” But sources close to Raskin have told the New York Times and other outlets that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had privately encouraged him and potentially others to launch insurgent bids. This would not be the first time Pelosi has stepped into an internal election on the side of a younger challenger: In 2008, then-Speaker Pelosi supported her ally Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., in his successful run to unseat Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.
The House Democratic Steering Committee, which consists of caucus leaders and House members representing different geographical areas and election classes, will meet later this month to make recommendations for committee leadership. The full Democratic caucus will then vote on whether to approve those choices.