In a Blow to the Gerontocracy, Garcia Now Poised To Become Top Democrat on Oversight Committee

In a blow to the Democratic Party’s much-maligned gerontocracy, a 47-year-old congressman, Robert Garcia, is poised to become the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee. He beat out two lawmakers who are over the age of 70, and a fellow 40-something, for the job. The Democrats’ Steering and Policy Committee during a meeting late Monday night voted by a wide margin to nominate Mr. Garcia as its choice for ranking member of the committee. He received 33 votes from his colleagues, while his closest competitor received 15. The full House Democratic Caucus, with 212 members, is expected to vote overwhelmingly on Tuesday to affirm the Steering Committee’s decision. Mr. Garcia will fill the seat of a late lawmaker from Virginia, Congressman Gerry Connolly, who died earlier this year. He was criticized by some liberals and activist Democrats in late 2024 for running for the ranking member position while battling cancer at the age of 74. In December, Connolly beat out a young rising star in the party, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for the spot. She promptly left the committee to join a more powerful panel after being beaten by Connolly in that race. After Connolly announced his decision to step aside before he passed away, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said she would not try to return to the Oversight Committee to run for the ranking member position. “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,” she told reporters in May. While the work of the panel can be important — as it was during the impeachment inquiries into both President Trump and President Biden — the Oversight Committee is often considered one of the less serious bodies in Congress. The subject matter and oversight responsibilities often lead to committee members fighting with each other, allowing them to win viral moments or invitations to cable television green rooms.The top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Richard Neal, has served in the House since the 1980s. He told reporters on Monday night that the panel is unrecognizable compared to what it was when he first arrived. “I’ll tell you — what that place looks like now, compared to what it was like when I first got here? Oof,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I wouldn’t take that job even if you gave it to me,” Congresswoman Angie Craig said with a laugh of the Oversight Committee position as she was heading into the Steering Committee meeting on Monday. Discussions about the Democratic Party’s gerontocracy have not abated, even with Mr. Biden’s departure from the national stage. At a rally for a New York City mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, earlier this month, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said Governor Cuomo — the leading candidate to win the Democratic nomination for mayor — is part of that old guard that needs to be done away with. “Andrew Cuomo has made clear that if he wins this race, he wants to run for president of the United States of America,” she said at a rally for Mr. Mamdani. “In a world and a nation that is crying to end the gerontocracy of our leadership, that wants a new day, that wants to see a new generation ascend, it is unconscionable to send Andrew Cuomo to Gracie Mansion.”

In a Blow to the Gerontocracy, Garcia Now Poised To Become Top Democrat on Oversight Committee

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