Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly narrowly secured a recommendation from his colleagues to lead Democrats on the House Oversight panel, edging out New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. However, Ocasio-Cortez is anticipated to challenge the decision before the full House Democratic caucus on Tuesday, as per three sources familiar with the matter.
During the selection process, Connolly garnered 34 votes, while Ocasio-Cortez received 27 votes, according to two sources briefed on the outcome.
Despite the steering committee's preference for Connolly in the sought-after position, there is a possibility of the decision being overturned during the upcoming full caucus meeting on Tuesday, marking a rare occurrence.
Furthermore, Democrats engaged in voting for other contested committee ranking member positions during their closed-door session. California Rep. Jared Huffman emerged victorious over New Mexico Rep. Melanie Stansbury to lead Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee. Additionally, Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota managed to unseat two more senior House Democrats to assume leadership of her party on the Agriculture Committee, as confirmed by multiple sources.
