The New York lawmaker said she wont seek the leadership role due to her party’s preference for seniority.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said on May 5 that she will not be seeking the top Democratic post on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, citing her party’s preference for a more senior panel member.
“It’s actually clear to me that the underlying dynamics in the Caucus have not shifted with respect to seniority as much as I think would be necessary, and so I believe I’ll be staying put at Energy and Commerce,” the lawmaker told reporters.
Ocasio-Cortez, commonly known as AOC, unsuccessfully ran for the top Democratic spot on the oversight panel in December to replace Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who left to become the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.
The New York congresswoman ultimately lost out to Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), who secured the coveted role in a 131–84 vote.
Connolly confirmed last month that he would not be running for reelection in 2026 amid his ongoing battle with esophageal cancer.
The 74-year-old announced the news in an April 28 note to his constituents posted on the social media platform X.
“When I announced my diagnosis six months ago, I promised transparency,” he wrote. “After grueling treatments, we’ve learned that the cancer, while initially beaten back, has now returned.”
The Democrat vowed to “do everything possible” to complete the remainder of his ninth term but acknowledged the “sun is setting” on his career in public service.Connolly initially revealed his cancer diagnosis last November, saying that it came as a “surprise” due to his lack of symptoms, “except for some intermittent abdominal aches and pains.”
The lawmaker said he planned to begin chemotherapy and immunotherapy immediately.
In his April announcement, Connolly did not specify when he plans to formally step down from his role on the high-profile committee, writing only that it would happen “soon.”
Despite no formal timeline for his departure announced, Connolly’s decision has already kicked off the search for his successor, with contenders such as Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) already lining up, according to multiple reports.
Ocasio-Cortez was widely expected to be the favorite, however, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) telling reporters on Capitol Hill on May 5 that while a “number of strong candidates” are expected to run for the role, the New York congresswoman would be a “very compelling candidate.”
In December, when she first announced her intent to run for the top Democrat position on the committee, the lawmaker said it was not a position she sought “lightly” and that the role is “consequential” following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
“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,” she wrote in a letter to colleagues at the time.
Ocasio-Cortez would have required a waiver from the Democratic Caucus to return to the committee after leaving it in December to take a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee.
When asked on May 5 who she might support in the race for the top Democratic spot on the panel, Ocasio-Cortez said that a vacancy has yet to be declared.
“There’s no vacancy. There’s no official race yet, so I won’t comment on that, and I want to be respectful of ranking member Connolly,” she said.
The Epoch Times contacted Ocasio-Cortez’s office for further comment but did not receive a response by publication time.