Rep. Gerry Connolly Monday said he will step aside “soon” as ranking Democratic member of the House oversight committee due to a setback in his battle with cancer, a move that will leave open a key congressional spot that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez previously made a strong bid for.
“The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress,” Connolly, 74, wrote in a note to constituents. “I will be stepping down as ranking member of the House oversight committee soon.”
“With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we’ve accomplished together over 30 years,” the term lawmaker added.
Potential candidates to succeed Connolly include Ocasio-Cortez, along with other young, outspoken and ambitious lawmakers like California representatives Ro Khanna and Robert Garcia, or Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
Ocasio-Cortez is seen as a possible frontrunner because she ran a strong race against him in an internal Democratic election for the position that is seen as a key perch to push back against the controversial second-term agenda of President Trump.
She did not immediately comment on the looming vacancy on the oversight panel, which could give her an even more prominent platform to speak out against Trump and for progressive policies.
She lost to Connolly 131 to 84 in a secret-ballot vote at a Democratic caucus meeting last December.
After the defeat, Ocasio-Cortez decided to switch to the energy and commerce committee, so it’s not clear if she might try to bounce back to oversight and make a new run for the soon-to-be vacant ranking member position.
The third-term lawmaker, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, has generated 2028 presidential buzz with a successful string of rallies in western red states alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Connolly took over from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) after Raskin successfully ousted Rep. Jerry Nadler from his post as the top Democrat on the judiciary committee.
Taken together, the musical chairs amounts to something of a generational changing of the guard as Democrats seek to turn the page on aging leaders like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
In the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries grabbed the reins from ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi two years ago.
The intra-party feud has also hit the Democratic National Committee, where leaders are pressuring vice chair David Hogg to drop a push to primary some Democratic incumbents deemed ineffective and aging.
