Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee has failed, with the majority of House Democrats voting for elderly Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA).
While conservatives see this as a victory because it prevented a radical leftist from taking more power, it only proves that once again, elderly lawmakers are not ready to cede their power to the younger generations. Rather than choosing Ocasio-Cortez — a 35-year-old lawmaker who is popular with the Democrat base — House Democrats chose a 74-year-old career politician with very little name recognition who is currently undergoing treatment for a rare esophageal cancer.
Connolly was chosen to serve as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday, with the final vote tally being 131-84.
“I thank my colleagues for their support and the confidence they’ve placed in me to lead House Democrats on the Oversight Committee,” Connolly wrote in a statement posted to X.
I thank my colleagues for their support and the confidence they've placed in me to lead House Democrats on the Oversight Committee.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/lOJfVZ1gC3
— Rep. Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) December 17, 2024
This vote comes soon after reports emerged that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had been working behind the scenes to prevent Ocasio-Cortez from taking the position, with numerous reports indicating that Pelosi was backing Connolly for the role. While Pelosi no longer holds the leadership position among House Democrats, she still has a lot of influence over the caucus.
Ocasio-Cortez, a self-professed socialist and member of the radical leftist “Squad,” had been serving as the vice-ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, but wanted to move up to the top role that was being vacated by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) — who wanted to become the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.
As Punchbowl News reporter Max Cohen noted in a post on X: “Connolly’s pitch was his intense focus on the panel and how he would deliver based on his experience. That won out over AOC’s message tailored at fighting for the working class.”
Connolly’s victory over AOC is the culmination of his entire House career spent on Oversight Cmte.
Connolly’s pitch was his intense focus on the panel and how he would deliver based on his experience. That won out over AOC’s message tailored at fighting for the working class https://t.co/XlbuVIwZ16
— Max Cohen (@maxpcohen) December 17, 2024
However, Connolly’s focus seemed different in a letter sent to his colleagues announcing his bid for the role — as he focused more on attacking Republicans than issues he would deliver on based on experience.
“We must expose and dismantle bad-faith Republican efforts to promote conspiracy theories, intimidate witnesses, and undermine democratic processes,” Connolly wrote.
“I’ve done this effectively in my work on the Committee in opposing the impeachment of President Biden and while serving as an appointee on the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government,” he added.
Meanwhile, others are condemning Democrats for choosing Connolly, as many pointed out that he has a history of alleged corruption — highlighting his “dubious record on stock trading & trying to give cushy handouts to defense contractor execs.”
“Connolly not only owns tons of stock in defense contractors (over $400K in LEIDOS) while sitting on a [committee] that’s supposed to regulate them,” Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding wrote in a post on X, adding: “Don’t forget that Connolly sold his Leidos stock multiple times while serving on Oversight Committee according to @NYTimes and maybe even VIOLATED THE STOCK ACT per @RawStory.”
⚠️BAD CHOICE — People need to know something about the big @AOC vs. @GerryConnolly showdown over who will lead be the leader on Oversight Committee (that oversees anti-corruption)…
Congressman Connolly has a very dubious record on stock trading & trying to give cushy handouts… pic.twitter.com/9qGeVx4tIg
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) December 17, 2024
