Connolly gets official nod for top Dem spot on Oversight

Rep. Gerry Connolly is poised to become the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee next year.

The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee voted to recommend him as the ranking member on the high-profile panel, according to two people familiar with the vote. The veteran investigator faced a stiff challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). The full caucus is set to vote on who will officially lead Democrats on the panel on Tuesday, and those votes typically align with the steering panel’s recommendations.

Current ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) set off the contested race after he announced his bid to become the top Judiciary Committee Democrat. Democrats are looking to use the Oversight Committee as a foil to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration in the next Congress.

Connolly had unsuccessfully run for the panel’s top job last Congress, losing to Raskin in both the steering and caucus elections. Since then, he worked to round up support from key corners of the Democratic Caucus and had a powerful ally in his corner: former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.