Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is going through an unsure future after a pivotal setback this week, when she misplaced her race to guide Democrats on the Home Oversight Committee.
The 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly’s (D-Va.) victory sparked new anger in liberals pushing for a generational change in management, and a few are questioning how Ocasio-Cortez will play her playing cards subsequent.
The “squad” member’s Home defeat reveals the fragile nature of post-November politics. Her centrist colleagues’ promotion of Connolly despatched a transparent message that Democrats need to suppress left-wing ideology as they give the impression of being to rebrand its picture, difficult Ocasio-Cortez’s place within the occasion, which has misplaced appreciable energy in Washington.
“Some of the younger members need to be willing to potentially take risk for their careers in Congress, in the political establishment, by calling out Democratic process as harmful to the power-building that they say that they desire,” mentioned Corryn Freeman, the chief director of Future Coalition, a corporation that mobilizes younger progressives. “I think she needs to say that out loud.”
Some progressives imagine she will work extra successfully to create recent vitality exterior of Capitol Hill. Exterior the decrease chamber, she would have extra freedom to critique the mentality that made fellow Democrats embrace Connolly, stifling her likelihood to test Republicans below a second Trump time period.
Whereas the 35-year-old congresswoman is extra outspoken than most within the caucus, she’s nonetheless constrained by the Home procedures, order and custom that may dictate who advances throughout the ranks. Talking out extra forcefully would probably create in poor health will within the Democratic caucus, however some say it’s a essential step towards extra nationwide prominence.
“It puts her at risk forever having the opportunity within the party to sit in the seats that we believe she should be sitting in,” Freeman mentioned. “But honestly at the rate at which the Democratic Party is moving, by the time AOC is able to get into a senior seat, a seat of leadership or power in Congress, someone else it will be their time.”
“She needs to speak up and I think that she should call out this move of party politics aligning with seniority practice as harmful to what the will of the people are,” she added.
Democrats have been preventing amongst one another following President-elect Trump’s win. Moderates have banded collectively to pin losses on the left. Already villainized by the appropriate, Ocasio-Cortez was thought of by many within the Home as a danger to advertise for the highest investigations position. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the previous Speaker, led the hassle in opposition to her, reportedly working the telephones for Connolly to the frustration of progressives who noticed the longtime chief as politically hurtful.
A number of sources instructed The Hill they have been stunned by her loss. Some have been optimistic when she seemed to be gaining momentum in opposition to the extra senior member, solely to shrink again, demonstrating the quick leash congressional progressives have inside their occasion following Trump’s victory.
“The party made its decision. I respect the outcome of the results,” Ocasio-Cortez instructed reporters on Tuesday. “I ran the best race I could. We’re moving forward.”
In some activist circles, her response was thought of too tepid. Some wished her to push again in opposition to the loss by detailing a Plan B, providing some reassurance that she’d remerge in one other capability. When that didn’t occur, some mentioned it mirrored a broader soul-searching throughout the progressive motion, the place even essentially the most distinguished figures are nonetheless determining how one can reply within the face of defeat.
“Has she become more savvy and realized you do have to play a game? I don’t think she’s moderated on her core values or beliefs,” mentioned Joseph Geevarghese, government director of Our Revolution. “Given that though, it’s malpractice for the Democratic Party to sideline one of its most charismatic young spokespeople who has, as Steny Hoyer said, ‘a gazillion followers.’”
“This is one of the most popular politicians among young people in the United States. Why would we not give her the first chair to hold Trump and the oligarchs accountable? I would argue it’s because I’m not sure the Democratic establishment wants to do that,” mentioned Geevarghese.
“I don’t think they want a full-throated populist anti-establishment, anti-corporate critique.”
In the meantime, different Home Democrats are rejecting the suggestion that Ocasio-Cortez’s loss is something however a minor bump within the street for a lawmaker they contemplate to be a singular expertise — and a blockbuster communicator — whose star will solely proceed to rise. These voices are fast to level out that she was elected solely six years in the past and has constructed an infinite following since then, incomes a nationwide base of assist that will not abate a bit from one failed run at a committee publish.
“Her future is dazzlingly bright. She’s only in her third term, and it shows that she’s got remarkable support that she could come even that close,” mentioned Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the present rating member of the Oversight panel whose soar to the Judiciary Committee sparked the competition between Connolly and Ocasio-Cortez to start with.
Raskin had tapped Ocasio-Cortez to function his vice-ranking member over the previous two years. He gave her a glowing evaluation as a “very serious and effective” chief in that spot. He additionally prompt that, regardless of her loss, she stays able to write down her personal ticket relating to main subcommittees or assuming different positions of authority within the coming Congress.
“She is a member of growing influence within the caucus, and she obviously has extraordinary support in the country,” Raskin mentioned. “She speaks to millions of young people who may not be relating to other members of Congress right now. It’s really just a question of where she wants to position herself.”
Raskin floated one hypothetical publish the place he thinks Ocasio-Cortez would excel: the rating member spot on the Home DOGE subcommittee, a GOP effort to slash federal spending that is being fashioned below the umbrella of Oversight. Fellow progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), her shut ally for whom she has served as a surrogate, have expressed a willingness to discover working with Republicans on waste.
“She could make powerful arguments for making different kinds of cuts to corporate welfare and military bloat, and see if she could find common ground. But she would not let the Republicans get away with disinformation,” Raskin mentioned. “So I think there are a lot of different positions she can occupy in the next Congress. It’s just really a question of what she wants to do. And as we get closer to the 2026 election, her political role assumes more and more importance.”
Different Democrats went even additional, urging Democratic leaders to carve out a particular place for Ocasio-Cortez to capitalize on her distinctive recognition and powers of communication.
“I think it’s a terrible mistake not to bring her into the fold and give her a very important position, because she brings with her a group of people that, obviously, is slipping away from us. And we need her, we have to find a place for her,” mentioned Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.). “This is a terrible missed opportunity if we don’t.”
Requested when such a promotion ought to happen, Vargas did not skip a beat.
“We need her right now. She has the best communication skills out of all of us,” he mentioned.
“What we need to do is everyone has to stand back a little and say, ‘OK, what are we doing right and what are we doing wrong?’” Vargas continued. “One of many issues that we’re doing improper isn’t speaking with younger folks. We’re doing that improper. Who communicates the perfect with younger folks in our entire caucus, by far? She does. And so let’s discover a place and provides her a distinguished spot, no matter that’s. Determine it out. Let’s determine one thing new.
“We can’t do things the way we used to, because obviously that’s not working.”
Ocasio-Cortez surprised Washington in 2018 when she defeated Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), who was then the Home Democratic Caucus chairman, in a major upset for the ages. She rapidly made waves on Capitol Hill, becoming a member of a local weather protest exterior Pelosi’s workplace even earlier than she was sworn in to Congress — a transfer that angered a few of her colleagues.
She has additionally endorsed a number of liberal candidates over time who have been difficult Democratic incumbents, which alienated some members even additional.
Extra not too long ago, nonetheless, Ocasio-Cortez has proven indicators of abandoning no less than a number of the rebellious positions that outlined her earliest years in workplace. This cycle marked the primary time she paid dues to the Democrats’ marketing campaign arm. And together with her personal reelection assured, Ocasio-Cortez spent the late marketing campaign season stumping in battleground states on behalf of Vice President Harris.
Vargas mentioned that no matter lingering tensions stay between Ocasio-Cortez and extra reasonable Democrats, they need to be swept below the rug.
“If people have hard feelings, get over it, guys. We lost. We got our asses kicked. Let’s get on offense here,” Vargas mentioned. “For those who’re a coach — and I coached some baseball for some time — you set your greatest gamers on the market whenever you want ’em. That is our greatest participant. Why the hell’s she sitting on the bench? Get her off the bench. Get her within the recreation.”
