Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is once again working behind the scenes to manipulate the political arena, this time to prevent Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) from becoming the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.
While she is no longer serving as Speaker of the House or leader of House Democrats, Pelosi still has a lot of power within her party — and she has a history of using that power behind the scenes to get her way, including reportedly playing a large role in forcing President Joe Biden to end his reelection bid. Now, she’s trying to use that power to prevent Ocasio-Cortz from taking the role of the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
The 35-year-old New York congresswoman is vying for the role, but Pelosi supports her opponent: 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) — which is not that surprising considering elderly lawmakers’ refusal to allow the younger generation to take over.
According to a report from Punchbowl News, Pelosi has been making calls on Connolly’s behalf behind the scenes.
NEWS: Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is actively working to tank AOC’s bid for the top Dem spot on the House Oversight Comittee, I’m told.
Pelosi has been making calls & campaigning on behalf of Gerry Connolly, who’s running against AOC. More in @PunchbowlNews midday: pic.twitter.com/zYwS628uas
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) December 12, 2024
Connolly announced just days after the presidential election that he is confident about becoming the next ranking member on the committee, despite also revealing that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which is rare, and would be undergoing chemo treatments.
Ocasio-Cortez announced in December that she had been speaking with her colleagues about the position before officially declaring her bid.
Whichever Democrat takes the role could hold massive power after the 2026 midterms if Democrats are able to regain control of the House. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) currently holds the position of House Oversight Committee ranking member, but is in the process of running for the same role in the House Judiciary Committee instead. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) has announced that he would be stepping down as the Judiciary Committee’s ranking member, and has endorsed Raskin to take his spot.
Meanwhile, a Politico report has confirmed that Ocasio-Cortez has the support of the majority of Democrats on the House Oversight Committee — but it is still possible that Pelosi’s influence could change that, especially as the full Democrat caucus and the Steering and Policy Committee will ultimately decide who takes the position.
Speaking about Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) stated: “She’s a very effective messenger, and that’s kind of the conclusion people have drawn from this election — that we haven’t had effective messengers.”
