Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) said she won't seek to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee following the announced retirement of Gerry Connolly, who the party favored over her earlier this year.
Speculation about the possibility arose after Connolly said he would leave the post "soon" due to the return of an esophageal cancer. However, AOC said she won't run again as she believes she would again face long odds against a more senior member of the party.
"It's actually clear to me that the underlying dynamics in the caucus have not shifted with respect to seniority as much as I think would be necessary, and so I believe I'll be staying put at Energy and Commerce," the lawmaker told reporters, referring to the post she did get on that committee.
AOC did not reveal who she will support to become the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee. Rep. Stephen Lynch, the third most senior member on the panel, has been replacing Connolly on an interim basis. He said he will run for the post and that Connolly has endorsed him.
Becoming the ranking member of the influential committee would have further elevated AOC's profile at a time when she's seeking to spearhead a generational change in the party. Different lawmakers told NBC News they believed she would have been the favorite to take the post, in contrast with her statement.
AOC has been significantly elevating her profile regardless, touring the country along with Sen. Bernie Sanders, holding rallies aimed at denouncing the Trump administration and mobilizing voters. They have drawn crowds of thousands in different parts of the U.S. At a recent rally she argued about the need to reframe the divide in the Democratic Party not as progressive versus moderate, but as those going after Republican President Donald Trump and those being more cautious.
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