A significant group of congressional Democrats endorsed Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York for the top Democratic position on the House Oversight Committee, opting for a more senior party member to confront a potential second Trump administration. In a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee aligned with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Connolly received 34 votes compared to Ocasio-Cortez’s 27 votes, as reported by a panel member. The vacancy arose when Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the previous top Democrat on Oversight, challenged Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York for a similar role on the Judiciary Committee, prompting Nadler to step aside.
In a surprising turn, the steering committee recommended Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota as the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee. Craig secured 34 votes, surpassing two more experienced contenders on the initial ballot – Rep. Jim Costa of California received 22 votes, and Rep. David Scott of Georgia, the incumbent in the Agriculture role since 2021, garnered only five votes.
For the leading Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, the steering committee proposed senior Rep. Jared Huffman of California over junior Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, with a vote of 44 to 17.
The full Democratic caucus is set to vote on the steering committee’s recommendations Tuesday morning. While the caucus typically follows the committee’s suggestions, there have been instances of the caucus rejecting the panel’s choices and selecting someone else.
The contests for committee ranking member positions were viewed as a test of the Democratic Party’s approach to seniority, with younger lawmakers advocating for fresh perspectives and generational change in leadership. However, the results from Monday presented a mixed outcome on that matter.
Connolly, aged 74, a long-standing member of the Oversight Committee and first elected to Congress in 2008, triumphed over Ocasio-Cortez, aged 35, despite her progressive popularity following her election in 2018. Connolly also secured the steering committee’s backing for the Natural Resources position. Huffman, aged 60, elected in 2012 and expected to be the second most senior Democrat on the committee next year, won over Stansbury, aged 45, a newer member of the committee.
With Huffman likely to become the ranking member of Natural Resources, the committee will have a younger Democratic leader compared to the past. Huffman previously challenged Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, aged 76, the committee’s top Democrat since 2015, for the position.
In the Agriculture competition, the younger candidate emerged victorious. Craig, aged 52, a Democratic “Frontliner” and one of the committee’s less experienced members, defeated the incumbent Scott, aged 79, elected in 1982, and another senior member, Costa, aged 72.
“I’m prepared to help us regain the support of rural Americans
The Democrats could potentially wield significant oversight authority if they regain control of the House during the 2026 midterm elections.
