WASHINGTON – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has begun informing colleagues in the House of Representatives that she is running as the top Democrat on the influential Oversight Committee, according to three Democratic lawmakers who told NBC News they are holding talks had with her.
Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive star who goes by the nickname AOC, told at least two of those lawmakers during votes in the House of Representatives on Thursday evening that she is throwing her hat into the ring to lead Democrats on the committee. A third Democratic lawmaker reported that Ocasio-Cortez, 35, was told this week that she was definitely a candidate.
Her entry into the race pits her against Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., 74, a senior member of the committee, in the race to become the top supervisory Democrat. The contest will serve as a bellwether for whether the Democratic caucus still values seniority or truly wants a generational change.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a fellow progressive leader who serves on the committee with Ocasio-Cortez, declined to discuss their private conversations but endorsed her for the job.
“AOC works very closely with the committee and helps elevate all members,” Khanna said in a brief interview. “She has been so passionate about the work of this committee over the past two years as Vice Chair, and we need progressives to demand leadership in our Congress and in our country to advance an agenda for the working class. I’m all for her.”
The Oversight Committee will be crucial for Democrats as they try to combat the incoming Trump administration and chase down the new president and his allies, who have vowed to retaliate against enemies and other political norms in Washington will be ignored. If Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections, the new Oversight chairman would have broad power to subpoena and investigate the Trump administration.
The post was opened after Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., 61, who held the position this Congress, mounted an insurgent challenge to Rep. Jerry Nadler, DY, 77, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. As Raskin was rising, Nadler dropped out of the judicial race and endorsed Raskin, all but guaranteeing him the role.
Top aides to Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Ocasio-Cortez appeared to make a bid for the Oversight job on Wednesday.
“I am certainly interested in the position. I have a lot of conversations with my colleagues,” she said. “And you know, I think it’s incredibly important that we fully prepare for a coming Trump administration, and that we fight for Americans who work every day.”
She added that she has nothing but “huge respect and admiration for Gerry Connolly.”
“He’s just an absolutely fantastic leader, and I think we both bring value to the committee, which is a big part of the committee’s effectiveness. I love Gerry,” she said.
Connolly told reporters on Wednesday that a possible race against Ocasio-Cortez would be a stark choice for Democratic colleagues: He said he has much more experience. He was first elected to Congress in 2008; she rose to political prominence by knocking off New York’s Joe Crowley, then chairman of the Democratic caucus, in a 2018 primary.
But Connolly is also dealing with health problems. Shortly after last month’s election, he announced that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
“For me it’s not generational. It’s about experience, track record and ability, and that’s how I have to present it,” Connolly told reporters on Wednesday. “And she is a new talent and has a lot of promise, but I am the only one in the race… who has actually done that [led] a subcommittee. I think that’s very important.”
The Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is working closely with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., plans to make recommendations to committee leaders later this month. Then, all 215 House Democrats who will serve in the new Congress will vote on who they want as committee leaders for the 119th Congress.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
