Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has kept her eye on opportunities to increase her own power.
The radical socialist sees an opening she didn’t expect.
And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be about to blindside her colleagues with this shocking power play no one thought could happen.
AOC’s quiet campaign to seize control of the powerful House Oversight Committee
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are scrambling after Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) announced he would step down as ranking member following the return of his esophageal cancer.
“The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress,” Connolly wrote in his announcement.
His departure has set off a behind-the-scenes power struggle as Democrats jockey for position to replace him, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez emerging as a potential frontrunner despite having lost to Connolly last December.
Multiple House Democrats close to AOC told Axios she is “still deliberating” on whether to run for the powerful position, even though she no longer officially sits on the committee.
If AOC were to secure the ranking member position, it would mark a significant victory for the radical wing of the Democrat Party and would elevate one of the most extreme voices in Congress to a highly visible role countering Republicans on the committee.
Last December, Ocasio-Cortez lost her bid for the position to the more moderate Connolly in a 131 to 84 vote among Democrats. Her potential return to pursue the position would signal the leftward drift of House Democrats and their increasing desperation to appease their radical base.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Connolly’s vice ranking member, is also making her interest in the role known and quietly working to shore up support behind the scenes.
“I’m the vice ranker, so when I took the role on, I was [and] still am willing to step in, in service to the caucus and the country, but conversations need to be had before any formal announcement can be made,” Crockett told Axios.
One House Democrat who serves on the committee is already throwing their weight behind AOC, revealing to Axios: “This might be a path for Ocasio-Cortez, given that it was a two-way race at the outset. I’d vote for her!”
But not all Democrats are eager to hand over the reins to Ocasio-Cortez.
Another committee Democrat expressed support for following established procedures, stating, “We have a vice [ranking member] for a reason… we talk a lot about respecting processes in the party, and that’s where I am.”
The potential elevation of Ocasio-Cortez represents a troubling development for middle America as the committee has direct oversight of important government functions.
The Oversight Committee is already stacked with young, ambitious, and high-profile progressive Democrats who have consistently used their platform to grandstand rather than pursue genuine accountability.
Other Democrats reportedly considering a run for the position include Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Robert Garcia (D-CA), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), and Maxwell Frost (D-FL).
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), who will temporarily fill in for Connolly, has also been mentioned as a possible successor, though at 70 years old, the moderate Democrat is seen as less appealing to the party’s increasingly radical base.
One significant hurdle for Ocasio-Cortez is that she would need a special waiver to serve on both the Oversight Committee and the Energy & Commerce Committee simultaneously.
The House Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee – packed with leadership loyalists – would need to approve such an arrangement, potentially setting up another behind-the-scenes battle.
According to sources familiar with his thinking, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) is interested in the position but would “fully support” Ocasio-Cortez if she decides to run.
The timing of this leadership scramble is particularly concerning as Democrats’ far-left base has been expressing increasing frustration with what they perceive as a lack of aggressiveness from their party’s establishment in Congress.
Some Democrat lawmakers reportedly see this as an opportunity to demonstrate they are responsive to the radical demands of their base – a troubling sign for the direction of their party.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
