Gerry Connolly defeats AOC to become top Democrat on Oversight Committee

Washington — Democrats elected Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia to serve as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, rejecting a push by some members to tap a younger generation of lawmakers to lead the party on top panels.

Connolly, 74, defeated 35-year-old Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a 131-84 vote to become the ranking member of the powerful committee. Connolly, who came to Congress in 2009, will replace Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who will serve as the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3.

"I think my colleagues were measuring their votes by who's got experience, who's seasoned, who can be trusted, who's capable and who's got a record of productivity," Connolly told reporters after the meeting. "And I think that prevailed."

While Democrats will remain in the minority in the new year, Connolly's elevation to ranking member places him in line to chair the Oversight Committee if Democrats retake the House in 2026, halfway through President-elect Donald Trump's second term. The committee led numerous investigations into the first Trump administration after Democrats won the House in 2018.

Asked how he plans to deal with a second Trump term as the top Democrat on the committee, Connolly said that Trump "may feel more emboldened, but that may also make him more reckless."

"There is a law in this land, and we're going to make sure it's enforced," he added. 

The fight over committee leadership assignments has illustrated the tensions over a potential generational shift within the party. Long-serving top Democrats on the Judiciary, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees have stepped away from the top spots heading into the new Congress, facing challenges from younger Democrats. Republicans are slated to hold a trifecta in Washington in the new year, prompting a push for a younger crop of Democratic committee leaders to counter Republican efforts.

Democrats saw a leadership shakeup at the very top of their ranks in 2022, when Republicans took control of the House in that year's midterm elections. Long-serving leaders Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Jim Clyburn stepped down from their posts to make way for younger members.