Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York suffered a major setback and faces an uncertain future this week when she lost the race for Democratic leadership of the House Oversight Committee.
The victory of 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) has sparked fresh anger among liberals calling for a generational change in leadership and wondering how Ocasio-Cortez will play her cards next. Some people think so.
The defeat of the “split” MPs in the House of Representatives shows the delicate nature of politics since November. Ms. Connolly's promotion by her centrist colleagues sends a clear message that Democrats want to suppress left-wing ideology in an attempt to reshape its image, and threatens Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who has lost considerable power in Washington, with her party. Challenging the position.
“Some younger members of Congress are prepared to potentially jeopardize their careers in Congress and within the political system by criticizing the Democratic process as detrimental to the power-building they hope to achieve. We need it,” Colin Freeman said. Executive Director of the Future Coalition, an organization that unites young progressives. “I think she needs to say it out loud.”
Some progressives believe she could work more effectively to generate fresh energy outside the Capitol. Outside the House, she will be freer to criticize the mentality that stifled any chance of keeping Republicans in check under President Trump's second term and led Democrats to support Mr. Connolly.
The 35-year-old lawmaker has been more outspoken than other members of his caucus, but he remains bound by the House's procedures, order and traditions that govern who is promoted within the chamber. Any more forceful statements would likely cause resentment within the Democratic caucus, but some say it's a necessary step to raise his profile nationally.
“This puts her at risk of permanently denying her the opportunity to sit in the seat in the party that we think she should sit in,” Freeman said. “But let's be honest, with the speed at which Democrats are moving, by the time AOC is able to take a senior seat in Congress, a position of leadership or power, someone else will be in their time. ”
“She needs to speak out and I think she should denounce this movement of party politics in line with seniority practices as being detrimental to the will of the people,” he added.
The battle between Democrats continues following President-elect Trump's victory. Moderates united behind the left-wing Pinlos. Ocasio-Cortez, already demonized by the right, was seen by many in the House as dangerous to be elevated to the top investigative role. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) led the effort against her, calling Ms. Connolly to frustrate progressives who saw the longtime leader as politically toxic. It is reported that he put it on.
Sources told The Hill that they were stunned by her loss. Some were optimistic when she appeared to be gaining momentum against senior lawmakers, but ended up faltering, with Congressional progressives experiencing a short-lived tenure in the party after Trump's victory. It was shown that
“The party has made a decision, and I respect the consequences of the outcome,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters on Tuesday. “I ran the best race I could. We're moving forward.”
Her response was considered too lukewarm in some activist circles. Some hoped to push back on the loss by detailing a Plan B, giving her reassurance that she would rise again in a different capacity. When that didn't happen, it reflected a broader soul-searching within the progressive movement, with even its most prominent figures still figuring out how to respond in the face of defeat. Some people said.
“Has she become more knowledgeable and realized she has to play the game? I don't see her compromising her core values and beliefs,” said Executive Director of Our Revolution. , said Joseph Guivarghese. “But given that, it's a good idea for Democrats to sideline one of the Democratic Party's most charismatic young press secretaries with, as Steny Hoyer put it, 'billions of supporters.' It is an illegal act.”
“He is one of the most popular politicians among American youth. Why not give her the first chair to hold Trump and the oligarchs accountable? Is that what the Democratic establishment wants? I would argue that it's because we don't know,” Guivarghese said.
“I don't think they want a populist, anti-establishment, anti-business, all-out criticism.”
Meanwhile, other House Democrats say Ocasio-Cortez's loss is just a minor bump in the road for a lawmaker they see as a unique talent, a master communicator whose star will continue to rise. I reject that idea. Those voices point to the fact that she was elected just six years ago and has since built up a huge following, gaining a national support base that hasn't diminished even after losing a committee post. point out immediately.
“Her future is blindingly bright. She's only in her third term, but for her to be able to get that close shows that she has incredible support.” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the committee's current ranking member and elevated to the Judiciary Committee. This sparked the conflict between Connolly and Ocasio-Cortez in the first place.
Raskin has appointed Ocasio-Cortez as his deputy ranking member for the past two years. He gave her glowing reviews as a “very serious and capable” leader of the place. He also indicated that despite his defeat, he is in a position to write his own ticket when leading subcommittees or assuming other prestigious positions in the next Congress.
“She's an increasingly influential member of the caucus and clearly has extraordinary support nationally,” Raskin said. “She's speaking to millions of young people who may not be connected to other members of Congress right now. It's really a question of where she wants to position herself.”
Mr. Raskin listed one hypothetical post in which he thought Mr. Ocasio-Cortez would excel. It is the ranking member of the House DOGE subcommittee, a Republican effort to cut federal spending organized under the Oversight Office. Progressives like her close ally Sen. Bernie Sanders, R-Vermont, who has been representing her, have said they would consider working with Republicans on waste issues.
“She could make strong arguments for various cuts to corporate welfare and a bloated military and see if they can find common ground. But she's not sure if Republicans “We were not going to allow misinformation to be leaked,” Raskin said. “So I think there are a lot of positions she could fill in the next Congress. It's really a question of what she wants to do. And as we get closer to the 2026 election, I think her political role will become more and more important.” It will be.”
Other Democrats went further, calling on Democratic leaders to create a special position for Ocasio-Cortez to leverage her unique popularity and communication skills.
“I think it was a terrible mistake not to have her on the team and not give her a very important position, because she is clearly bringing in a group of people who are moving away from us and giving us needs her and we have to find a place for her,” said Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.). “If we don't, this is a terrible missed opportunity.”
Asked when such a promotion should happen, Mr. Vargas didn't budge.
“We need her right now. She has the best communication skills among us,” he said.
“What we have to do is everyone has to step back a little bit and say, 'Okay, what are we doing right and what are we doing wrong?' ” Vargas continued. “One of the things we're doing wrong is not communicating with young people. Who can take it? She is. So let's find a place and give her a prominent place, whatever it is. Let's think of something new. .
“We can't continue doing things the way we used to, because clearly things aren't going well.”
Ocasio-Cortez stunned Washington in 2018 when she defeated then-chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Joe Crowley of New York, in one of the biggest upsets in years. Even before she was sworn into Congress, she took part in a climate change protest in front of Pelosi's office that quickly made waves on Capitol Hill, an action that angered some of her colleagues.
She also has supported liberal candidates against Democratic incumbents over the years, which has further alienated some members.
But in recent days, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has shown signs of abandoning at least some of the rebellious positions that characterized her early days in office. This cycle marked the first time she paid dues to the Democratic Party's campaign arm. Ocasio-Cortez, now certain of her re-election, spent the second half of the campaign season stumbling in battleground states in place of Vice President Harris.
Vargas said whatever tensions remain between Ocasio-Cortez and more moderate Democrats should be hidden.
“If people are having a hard time, get over it. We lost. We got screwed. Let's start attacking here,” Vargas said. “If you're a coach, and I used to coach baseball, you send your best player when you need him. This is our best player. Why on earth is she on the bench?” Are you sitting? Get her off the bench. Get her into the game.”
