75-Year-Old Democrat Who Beat AOC for Key Role Resigns After 4 Months

[AZProgressive]

108. The big decision that could shape AOC's future

Nicholas Wu and Holly Otterbein
Wed, April 30, 2025 at 1:45 AM MST

Five months ago, she chose to play the inside game with her fellow House Democrats, running for her party’s top post on the high-profile Oversight Committee. She came up short to a more senior lawmaker, Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, and left the committee entirely.

Now she has a second chance. Connolly unexpectedly announced Monday he will soon step aside for health reasons, leaving her with another critical choice — one made even more momentous by how much has changed inside the Democratic Party since she last chose to try and move up the House ranks.

Faced with the stresses of President Donald Trump’s second term, Democratic voters are yearning for younger and more assertive leadership. Many see exactly what they are looking for in Ocasio-Cortez, 35, who has traveled the country in recent months, packing rally after rally with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and fueling speculation about a potential White House run.

In other words, the stage afforded as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee is suddenly looking a whole lot smaller, and Ocasio-Cortez is remaining publicly and privately noncommittal as speculation swirls about Connolly’s successor.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/big-decision-could-shape-aoc-084500156.html

I decided to post this story here instead of starting another thread but is related to the topic of this thread.