Key Group Looks Past AOC In Democrats’ Highest-Profile Fight For House Panel Spots

An important party panel picked Rep. Gerry Connolly over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday to lead fellow Democrats on the House Oversight Committee when the next Congress takes over in January.

The Democratic Steering Committee, a group of House Democrats seeded with party leadership supporters, gave its endorsement to Connolly, an eight-term House veteran from the Virginia suburbs of Washington, on a 34-27 tally, according to a House Democratic staffer. The panel’s recommendation will be taken up by the full House Democratic caucus Tuesday.

The fight between Connolly, 74, and Ocasio-Cortez, 35, over who will be the ranking member has been the most prominent one in an unusual wave of committee contests this year seeming to lay bare party concerns over the age of some of its leaders.

In addition to the Oversight Committee battle, the Steering Committee held votes on who would be the top Democrat on the agriculture and natural resources committees.

Asked about the generational overtones of his race with the New York City representative, Connolly told HuffPost: “Bullshit.”

“That’s not what you saw in the [Steering Committee] results. It’s about competence and ability to do the job, not generation, not age,” he said.

“I’ve never had a shot. This is my shot, irrespective of my age. I have something to contribute still, and I want to do it.”

Of the three races within the Democratic caucus, the one between Connolly and Ocasio-Cortez drew the sharpest contrast. Connolly is a genial but always prepared former suburban Virginia county executive who is also fighting esophageal cancer, while Ocasio-Cortez, a rising star who came to Congress by defeating a 10-term Democratic incumbent, has been trying to show there is more to her persona than social media savvy.

In the Agriculture Committee race, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) beat Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) on 34 to 22 tally in the Steering Committee, according to the staffer. Only five votes went to Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), the current ranking member whose frail health has been a source of concern during farm bill negotiations with Republicans over the past year.

The other race, for the top Democratic spot on the Natural Resources Committee, also has a generational aspect, as the current ranking member, 76-year-old Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), dropped out after undergoing treatment for cancer.

In the race to succeed Grijlava, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), 60, beat Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), 45, whom Grijalva had endorsed, in the Steering Committee on a 44-17 vote, according to the Democratic staffer.

Typically the caucus votes to ratify the choices made by the Steering Committee, so it is unclear if all three of the contested races will also be put to caucus votes Tuesday, though the Oversight Committee race was considered almost a certainty to go to a full vote.

A spokesperson for Stansbury made it sound like she would also take her case to the full caucus. “As the caucus prepares to consider Committee races tomorrow, Rep. Stansbury looks forward to continuing the conversation,” said Communications Director Caroline Sweeney in an email.

In the Agriculture Committee race, Scott had reportedly decided not to try his case again after the third-place showing in the Steering Committee.

Asked about how he felt his Oversight Committee chances would be in front of the whole caucus, Connolly told HuffPost, “I’m feeling pretty good about it.”