{"id":10980,"date":"2025-05-08T18:55:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T10:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=10980"},"modified":"2025-05-08T18:55:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T10:55:49","slug":"ocasio-cortez-move-to-forego-run-at-oversight-scrambles-race-to-replace-connolly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=10980","title":{"rendered":"Ocasio-Cortez move to forego run at Oversight scrambles race to replace Connolly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"739\" height=\"436\" src=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10981\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5-1.jpg 739w, https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5-1-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 739px) 100vw, 739px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to forego a bid for the top Democratic seat on the House Oversight Committee has quickly sparked a series of behind-the-scenes maneuvers to replace Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the current ranking member, whenever the seat opens up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The jockeying sets the stage for what could potentially be an animated contest pitting veteran, old guard lawmakers against a younger, newer crop of Democrats who are seeking more influence over the party\u2019s policy and messaging decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Stephen Lynch (Mass.), a senior member of the panel, was hand-picked to serve as interim ranking member while Connolly is treated for the esophageal cancer that forced him recently to step back from his daily responsibilities. And Lynch has made clear that he wants to fill the seat permanently whenever Conolly, who is not seeking reelection next year, vacates the seat for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a Lynch victory is no slam dunk on a committee stacked with younger members who are eager to advance. Some of those figures were ready to defer to Ocasio-Cortez if she decided to run. But the liberal superstar is no longer on the Oversight Committee, having jumped to the Energy and Commerce panel after an unsuccessful race against Connolly for the top Oversight spot last December. And on Tuesday, she announced that she won\u2019t try again, suggesting the Democrats\u2019 long-held tradition of prioritizing seniority had dimmed her chances of winning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her surprise decision has changed the game, triggering a lively round of private discussions about the future face of Oversight, not only among lawmakers on the panel, but also among members of the broader caucus who will ultimately vote to decide Connolly\u2019s replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WSPA: boat tax bill<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stay<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt this point, I feel like half the committee is wanting to run for the seat,\u201d said Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), a former Oversight member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the first names bubbling up is Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), a 47-year-old former Long Beach mayor who was just elected to his second term on Capitol Hill. Garcia said this week that, even after Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s announcement, it\u2019s too early to speculate about the ranking member spot while Connolly still officially holds it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sign up for the Morning Report<br>The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email address<br>By signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use, have reviewed the Privacy Policy, and to receive personalized offers and communications via email, on-site notifications, and targeted advertising using my email address from The Hill, Nexstar Media Inc., and its affiliates<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRight now we\u2019re all focused on Gerry\u2019s health,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cThere\u2019s no election, so I think it\u2019s premature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet other members of the committee say Garcia has been in talks about a potential run. And some are already pushing for him to jump in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hear from so many members across the ideological spectrum on the Oversight Committee encouraging Robert Garcia to make a run, because he brings the talents of a newer member and being an amazing communicator, but he\u2019s viewed as a team player,\u201d said one Oversight Democrat, who spoke anonymously to discuss a sensitive topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHis experience as mayor and managing an executive staff in Long Beach, Calif., paired with his ability to communicate to so many different members of the caucus \u2014 I\u2019m just hearing from all sorts of folks advocating for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), in her third term, is another name mentioned in the mix. But like Garcia she told reporters this week that it\u2019s \u201ctoo early\u201d to discuss transition plans while Connolly remains the ranking member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), 44, another up-and-coming second-term Democrat, has been less bashful about her interest in the Oversight seat \u2014 a prominent spot for the minority Democrats to hone their attacks on Trump and the more unpopular elements of his policy agenda. Crockett told CNN this week that she\u2019s the perfect fit for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t know that I\u2019m the future of the Democratic Party, but I do know that, in this moment, we need people that are unafraid and willing to go after this administration for the good of the entirety of the country,\u201d Crockett told the network. \u201cAnd I think that that is an opportunity that I would have sitting as the ranker on Oversight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lynch, for his part, is touting his long experience on Capitol Hill, where he\u2019s now in his 25th year, while emphasizing that Connolly has vowed to back him publicly when the time comes. Yet Lynch is hardly ignoring the Democrats\u2019 internal debate over generational change, and he\u2019s quick to acknowledge the importance of empowering younger members and tapping the unique skills they bring to the table, not least their proficiencies on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am interested in putting our younger members in a position where they can have an impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The timing of the transition remains very much in flux. Connolly has made clear he wants to keep the seat indefinitely, especially while Trump and Elon Musk continue their efforts to fire federal workers, many of whom Connolly represents in his northern Virginia district. And Lynch said there\u2019s little appetite among Democratic leaders to stage a potentially contentious internal election while Republicans are fighting among themselves over the fate of Trump\u2019s \u201cbig beautiful bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf there\u2019s a vacancy, the vice chair and I will call an election in accordance with House Democratic Caucus rules,\u201d Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters Tuesday. \u201cBut there\u2019s no vacancy at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the debate rages on, at least one rising star in the Democratic Caucus says he won\u2019t seek Connolly\u2019s seat. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) had initially said he was awaiting Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s decision before deciding if he would launch a bid of his own. But on Tuesday, after she had broadcast her plan to remain on Energy and Commerce, Frost said he\u2019ll also sit this round out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have a leadership position; I want to focus on that,\u201d Frost said. \u201cI\u2019ve heard there\u2019s a lot of people thinking about it. But I want to see exactly who\u2019s committed to running before I commit\u201d my support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The decision by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to forego a bid for the top Democratic seat on the House Oversight Committee has quickly sparked a series of behind-the-scenes maneuvers to replace Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the current ranking member, whenever the seat opens up. The jockeying sets the stage for what could potentially be an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":10981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[3315,3314,2417],"class_list":["post-10980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-connolly","tag-oversight","tag-rep"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ocasio-Cortez move to forego run at Oversight scrambles race to replace Connolly - LISTEN WORLD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=10980\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ocasio-Cortez move to forego run at Oversight scrambles race to replace Connolly - LISTEN WORLD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The decision by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to forego a bid for the top Democratic seat on the House Oversight Committee has quickly sparked a series of behind-the-scenes maneuvers to replace Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the current ranking member, whenever the seat opens up. 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