AOC Loses Key Leadership Role to 74-Year-Old Democrat With Cancer
House Democrats voted Tuesday to elect Representative Gerry Connelly as the party’s ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, beating a bid from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and proving once again that they have learned absolutely nothing. Connolly beat Ocasio-Cortez by 131 to 84, Politico reporter Daniella Diaz posted on X. Punchbowl News reported last week that Connolly had a powerful ally pulling for him: former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had set her sights on quashing the New York progressive’s shot at leading the House of Representatives’ key investigative arm.As of last week, Ocasio-Cortez had reportedly won the support of the majority of Democrats on the Oversight Committee, a group made up of younger, more progressive members of the party, but Connolly was triumphant in Monday’s House Democratic Steering Committee vote, which selected him 34 to 27.Connolly was ultimately favored by the majority of the House’s Democratic Caucus. MAGA Republican Representative James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, said last week that he favored Ocasio-Cortez for the coveted spot. While Connolly, a 16-year House veteran, is a seasoned investigator, he has some serious red flags. He is part of the old guard of establishment Democrats who have struggled in recent elections, and earlier this year, the 74-year-old Virginia lawmaker announced that he had been diagnosed with esophagus cancer. By comparison, the 35-year-old Cortez has proven to be a lightning rod in the House—both good and bad—and winning a high-ranking position would have signaled a significant shift in party leadership following a bruising election. She is also popular among younger voters, a key demographic among whom Vice President Kamala Harris underperformed in November.This story has been updated.
House Democrats voted Tuesday to elect Representative Gerry Connelly as the party’s ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, beating a bid from Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and proving once again that they have learned absolutely nothing.
Connolly beat Ocasio-Cortez by 131 to 84, Politico reporter Daniella Diaz posted on X.
Punchbowl News reported last week that Connolly had a powerful ally pulling for him: former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had set her sights on quashing the New York progressive’s shot at leading the House of Representatives’ key investigative arm.
As of last week, Ocasio-Cortez had reportedly won the support of the majority of Democrats on the Oversight Committee, a group made up of younger, more progressive members of the party, but Connolly was triumphant in Monday’s House Democratic Steering Committee vote, which selected him 34 to 27.
Connolly was ultimately favored by the majority of the House’s Democratic Caucus.
MAGA Republican Representative James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, said last week that he favored Ocasio-Cortez for the coveted spot.
While Connolly, a 16-year House veteran, is a seasoned investigator, he has some serious red flags. He is part of the old guard of establishment Democrats who have struggled in recent elections, and earlier this year, the 74-year-old Virginia lawmaker announced that he had been diagnosed with esophagus cancer.
By comparison, the 35-year-old Cortez has proven to be a lightning rod in the House—both good and bad—and winning a high-ranking position would have signaled a significant shift in party leadership following a bruising election. She is also popular among younger voters, a key demographic among whom Vice President Kamala Harris underperformed in November.
This story has been updated.
