Democrats pick Gerry Connolly for Oversight post, rejecting Ocasio-Cortez bid

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won’t be the top Democrat on a prominent House committee next year. House Democrats on Tuesday picked 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly to lead the party on the Oversight Committee, turning aside a bid from Ocasio-Cortez for the job. Connolly has seniority on the committee, having served on it for 16 years. The vote was 131-84. The loss for Ocasio-Cortez comes as several other younger Democrats won the ranking spots on committees, pushing out more senior members. It’s all part of a generational struggle in the party that has grown more urgent following the party’s election losses last month.