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U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) suffered a major blow to her hopes of taking over as ranking member of the powerful House Oversight Committee, a springboard to a potential 2028 White House run.

The progressive diva’s campaign to become the top Democrat on the committee is reportedly opposed by former speaker Nancy Pelosi and now a key caucus has come out and endorsed Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) for the position, presenting complications to AOC’s path to political ascension.

On Friday, the New Democrat Coalition which boasts around 100 members put out a statement in support of Connolly, a far more serious lawmaker than the self-obsessed performative New Yorker, a glorified social media influencer with no record of actual accomplishments during her six years in Congress.

“New Dems are proud to endorse our colleague, friend, and fellow New Dem Rep. Gerry Connolly for Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability,” read the statement from caucus leaders Reps. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) and Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), the chair and co-chair-elect.

“Rep. Connolly is a strong and talented communicator and a dedicated workhorse prepared to expertly lead the committee in defending our Democratic priorities and standing up to the Trump administration’s extremist actions. He is the right choice to advance the interests of our full caucus,” the coalition proclaimed.

“Throughout his sixteen years on the Committee, Rep. Connolly has been a courageous and formidable force fighting against extremist GOP conspiracy theories and advancing thoughtful, commonsense legislation,” they wrote. “As we prepare for the new Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress, the Oversight Committee Democrats will play a critical role in protecting our democratic institutions and pushing back on bad faith actors. We are fully confident that Rep. Connolly will lead the committee with a no-nonsense approach and a steady hand.”

Like Ocasio-Cortez, Connolly has demonstrated a tendency for grandstanding, declaring that the “Ukrainian-Russian border is our border!” from the floor of the House, and earlier this year, introduced a bill to rename the Miami Federal Correctional Institution after Trump.

Connolly, who was recently diagnosed with esophagus cancer, reportedly had some help from Pelosi who was said to be working behind the scenes to knife AOC by whipping up support for the Virginia Democrat.

“Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is actively working to tank AOC’s bid for the top Dem spot on the House Oversight Comittee, I’m told,” wrote Punchbowl News reporter Melanie Zanona in a post to X. “Pelosi has been making calls & campaigning on behalf of Gerry Connolly, who’s running against AOC.”

On Friday, the news broke that the 84-year-old Pelosi took a fall on a marble staircase in Luxembourg and was hospitalized with The New York Times reporting that she may have suffered a broken hip, so it’s uncertain how much help she will be to Connolly for the foreseeable future. But many House Dems understand how toxic Ocasio-Cortez would be if she were to be their Oversight Committee leader.

Chris Donaldson
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