By Xavier Martinez
WASHINGTON -- House Democrats rejected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's effort to leapfrog into a prominent leadership role in the new Congress, siding with experience over progressive star power as the party prepares for two years under full Republican control of government.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D., Va.), 74, defeated Ocasio-Cortez, 35, for the top Democratic post on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, putting him in a position to be a prominent antagonist of President-elect Donald Trump during Trump's second term.
"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 said to reporters.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), who has had a chilly relationship with Ocasio-Cortez over the years, made calls to colleagues urging them to back Connolly, ratcheting up the intergenerational tension in the race. Pelosi, now 84, was a fierce Trump rival when she led Democrats in Trump's first term, but left leadership in 2022 and recently underwent hip replacement surgery.
The Oversight contest got under way Monday, when Democrats who sit on the Steering and Policy Committee picked Connolly over Ocasio-Cortez by a narrow margin and passed along that recommendation to the full conference. In the vote Tuesday, Connolly won 131 to 84.
Connolly, who has undergone cancer treatments, said he feels physically strong and that his disease, at worst, can be managed as a chronic illness.
The outcome marked a setback for Ocasio-Cortez's brand of politics, after two fellow members of her progressive "squad" lost their re-election bids. Ocasio-Cortez is an outspoken champion of expansive programs such as the Green New Deal, universal healthcare and free tuition at state colleges, policies that resonate strongly with some Democratic voters but have never been embraced by party leaders.
Ocasio-Cortez would have become the youngest House Democrat on record to serve as the top member on a committee. Connolly will succeed Rep. Jamie Raskin (D., Md.), 62, who is moving off Oversight to take over the party's top spot on the Judiciary Committee. Raskin, who helped lead the second impeachment of Donald Trump and is a hero of the left, was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2022 and underwent treatments, but the disease has been in remission since last year. He is replacing 77-year-old Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.)., who bowed out after Raskin's challenge.
Write to Xavier Martinez at xavier.martinez@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 17, 2024 13:18 ET (18:18 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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