Connolly Beats AOC in Race for Top Democrat on House Oversight Committee

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) listens at a news conference outside of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on June 16, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) won his conference’s approval on Dec. 17 to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, beating Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in an example of the ideological divide in the party.

Connolly will succeed Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who will become the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, replacing Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who stepped down and endorsed Raskin.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Connolly’s office for comment.

Connolly was recommended on Dec. 16 by the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee for the top Democrat spot on the influential committee. The full caucus vote was essentially a formality as conferences tend to follow their party’s steering committee recommendations.

The House Oversight Committee is chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who backed Ocasio-Cortez as ranking member. The GOP will retain its majority in the House and therefore control the committees.

Connolly was endorsed by the moderate New Democrat Coalition, which consists of 100 House Democrats, while Ocasio-Cortez was backed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

He said in a Dec. 3 letter to colleagues that Democrats on the Oversight Committee need to defend “American democracy” and articulate an “agenda that resonates with our constituents.”

“Our constituents need to know that when it comes to them and their priorities, we are going to fight,” he said.

Connolly, who has represented Virginia’s 11th Congressional District since 2009, has been on the committee for 16 years. The committee, he wrote, is a beat he knows well.

“Right now, we need an expert who can parry the worst Republican attacks on our institutions and deliver reform where it is necessary and needed,” he said.

Connolly promised to “elevate the talent and diversity” of the caucus.

As part of what has been a major reshuffling of Democrat leaders on House committees, Reps. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) were elected by their conference on Dec. 17 as ranking members of the House Agriculture Committee and House Natural Resources Committee, respectively.

Huffman succeeds Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) who opted to not run again for ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee post as he has been treated for cancer, while Craig succeeds Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), who has been absent due to health issues.

“It is the honor of my lifetime to win this election and be named Ranking Member of @NRDems.Thank you to the many incredible partners who have supported me in this journey. Our work is a team sport, and I’m excited and ready to lead this team,” Huffman wrote on X.

In a statement posted on X, Craig said being the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee is an honor.

“My focus will be on improving people’s lives—not scoring political points,” she said.

“We can lower food and energy costs for consumers. We can strengthen the farm safety net and open the doors of opportunity to new and beginning farmers.

“And we can ensure that nutrition assistance programs are available for the Americans who need them.”

Craig has represented Minnesota’s Second Congressional District since 2019, while Huffman has represented California’s Second Congressional District since 2013.