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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — the progressive icon whose political career began just six years ago — is vying to be the top Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee. Her possible win should be a welcome development for liberals.
The New York Democrat is a powerful messenger to young voters — and one whose political approach seems to have won the support of many Donald Trump voters in her district, which includes portions of the Bronx and Queens. As the committee’s ranking member, Ocasio-Cortez would be tasked with closely watching Trump’s incoming administration.
She’s laid out a vision for the role that could have broad appeal among the politically diverse Democratic coalition and beyond.
The jury is still out on whether she and the other relatively young Democrats attempting to win committee leadership roles will prevail. Politico reported Wednesday that Ocasio-Cortez has earned the support of the majority of Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, citing interviews with a dozen members and staffers. But, as the outlet noted, it’s the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee that decides whom to recommend to the full Democratic caucus.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is working to boost Ocasio-Cortez’s rival in the ranking member race, Rep. Gerry Connelly of Virginia, Punchbowl News reported Thursday. Both Connelly and Ocasio-Cortez have said they believe they have the votes to win. (Neither MSNBC nor NBC News has confirmed the reports from Politico and Punchbowl.)
But should Ocasio-Cortez prevail, there’s much for Democrats to be excited about. Strategically speaking, she’s laid out a vision for the role that could have broad appeal among the politically diverse Democratic coalition and beyond.
In a letter she wrote to colleagues last week, Ocasio-Cortez said, “Now, more than ever, we must focus on the Committee’s strong history of both holding administrations accountable and taking on the economic precarity and inequality that is challenging the American way of life.” That goal, she said, means “we must balance our focus on the incoming president’s corrosive actions and corruption with a tangible fight to make life easier for America’s working class.”
And symbolically speaking, elevating her to the role would help dispel some concerns that the Democratic Party is a gerontocratic institution and bridge the gap between seasoned Democratic lawmakers and their up-and-coming colleagues. Ocasio-Cortez’s letter heaps praise on former Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, who steered Trump’s first impeachment inquiry and died in 2019. Cummings was a strong ally to Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive members of the so-called Squad. She has praised his leadership several times since his passing.
If she becomes the ranking member of the Oversight Committee and models her reign after his, Democrats will have little to complain about.