AOC Could Become The Top Democrat In Key Committee After Ranking Member Announces He Will Step Down

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) could again attempt to become the top Democrat in the influential House Oversight Committee as she looks to further elevate her profile in the middle of a generational shift in the party.

The possibility comes after Rep. Gerry Connolly, who earlier this year beat the New York lawmaker for the post, announced on Monday he will step down due to his cancer returning.

AOC lost to Connolly 131-84 in the vote conducted by the full caucus. She then received a role in the also influential Energy and Commerce Committee, but was not able to get a waiver to stay on the Oversight one. Axios explained this means she would have to "jump through more procedural hurdles than other prospective candidates" should she decide to seek the post again.

Speaking to press, AOC said that Connolly's announcement "is not that he is stepping down, so there's presently not a vacancy to run for." Connolly, however, said he will "soon" step back as ranking member of the committee and he won't seek reelection.

Becoming the ranking member of the influential committee could further elevate AOC's profile at a time when she's seeking to spearhead a generational change in the party. In fact, she had her largest ever fundraising quarter, raking in close to $10 million.

The lawmaker reacted to the figure on X in mid April, saying "I cannot convey enough how grateful I am to the millions of people supporting us with your time, resources, & energy." "Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities. All with an avg donation of $21. THANK YOU & pa'lante," she added, using an expression in Spanish that means "onward."

AOC has been touring the country along with Sen. Bernie Sanders, holding rallies aimed at denouncing the Trump administration and mobilizing voters. They have drawn crowds of thousands in different parts of the U.S. At a recent rally she argued about the need to reframe the divide in the Democratic Party not as progressive versus moderate, but as those going after Republican President Donald Trump and those being more cautious.

Attendees in different rallies have called on her to seek higher office, primarying Chuck Schumer for a New York Senate seat in 2028 or even running for president in the next election. A recent survey by Data for Progress considering a potential Senate primary showed the New York City lawmaker ahead by almost 20 percentage points, getting 55% of the vote compared to Schumer's 36%. The poll was conducted on March 31 among 767 likely voters.