Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes herself out of running for Oversight ranking member

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is not running for the top Democratic spot on the powerful House Oversight Committee, ending speculation she would seek the ranking membership after losing in December.

Ocasio-Cortez told reporters she wouldn’t try to seek the ranking member position, which is set to be vacant after Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) announced his cancer had returned and he would be stepping away from his leadership position “soon.”

Last week, Ocasio-Cortez said there wasn’t a “vacancy to run for,” and then told reporters that she was “weighing” a bid. However, on Monday, she announced she would not be seeking the committee’s gavel, blaming the caucus’s views on seniority as a factor.

“It’s actually clear to me that the underlying dynamics in the caucus have not shifted with respect to seniority as much as I think would be necessary, and so I believe, I’ll be staying put at energy and commerce,” the New York congresswoman said.

Had Ocasio-Cortez wanted to run for the position, she would have needed a waiver to return to the committee. She sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, an “exclusive” panel that, under House rules, muddles her ability to also hold a spot on the Oversight Committee.

House Democrats have been facing a generational crisis in the aftermath of the 2024 election, with several younger House members challenging long-term leaders for committee ranking member slots, as many argued it was time for fresh blood in the ranks after Republicans’ sweeping victories.

Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) was the only younger member to successfully gain a leadership spot in a contested committee election last December. She is now running for the open Senate seat in Minnesota, but the congresswoman’s office told the Washington Examiner she will remain in her role as ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) serves as Natural Resources Committee ranking member, but his competition, the late Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), withdrew from the race.

Ocasio-Cortez passing on a run for the ranking membership does not come as a major shakeup, considering she has been raising significant funds that surpass a typical House member’s war chest for reelection in a safe blue seat — amounting to $10 million, a nod that she could be seeking a presidential run or Senate challenge to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

She’s also spending considerable time on the road, drawing large crowds during her and Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-VT) “Fighting Oligarchy” tour in red and blue states.

In the interim, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MD) will take over Connolly’s ranking member duties, and he said in a statement he has the elder congressman’s support if Lynch seeks to remain in the position permanently.

Other members have been floated for the position, including Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), and Ro Khanna (D-CA).