AOC’s failed bid for House committee chair signals generational choice for Democrats

President Biden’s age — and whether he should stay or go — nearly divided the Democratic Party this summer.

In fact, the president’s decision to withdraw early — and give other candidates, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, a chance to run for the Oval Office — may have saved the party’s election.

Differences between old and new and the direction of the party threaten to create divisions in the Democratic coalition. In fact, the race between Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee Competition for positions epitomizes this skirmish.

Connolly, 74, who is recovering from esophageal cancer, recently defeated Ocasio-Cortez, 35, for a high-profile seat in the Democratic caucus. Top Democrats on the panel will duel daily with Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. Connolly is also expected to become the party’s leader in the looming conflict with the incoming Trump administration.

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Cuomo backs Ocasio-Cortez. He knew that selecting her would enhance her standing in the direction of the party.

“I hope they put her in there because she embodies what the Democratic Party stands for. She’s a socialist. She’s the architect of the Green New Deal in the House,” Cuomo said.

This is the choice of a generation of Democrats.

Youth and experience.

But what about the future of the party?

Ocasio-Cortez is an icon of the progressive movement. She is one of the most powerful stars in Congress — if sometimes a lightning rod.

Does the party want to promote a liberal politician like Ocasio-Cortez — something that would resonate in the left-leaning, multicultural districts of Jackson Heights and College Point, New York? Or figuring out how to speak to the legions of swing voters or even moderate Democrats in Omaha, Nebraska, parts of Ohio and the Dakotas?

Not long ago, Democrats represented many of these places as well. The entire North and South Dakota delegations — House and Senate — are made up of Democrats. Former Nebraska Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and Nebraska Democrat Bob Kerry are political icons in the Cornhusker State. Ohio is a presidential swing state.

Connolly is by no means a “conservative” Democrat. He lacks the political appeal of Ocasio-Cortez. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. Connolly is a workhorse. He was a no-nonsense legislator with a quick mind who could go toe-to-toe verbally with the best lawmakers on the committee podium or on the House floor.

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The question is: Are House Democrats getting tough on progressives again? Are they shutting out youth and vitality again?

Not sure.

A victory for Ocasio-Cortez would mark a shift for the Democratic Party to the left. This is one of the issues facing the party in the election. But when it comes to “youth” and “turning over a new leaf” in the party, few have more say than outgoing Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minnesota. When Phillips raised an unrealistic challenge to President Joe Biden within the party, he was sharply rebuked by some in the Democratic establishment. Phillips will now retire from Congress.

“It’s time to promote the best and the brightest. We’re effectively preventing them from advancing to leadership positions, which means they go elsewhere,” lamented Phillips. “When we lose ambitious, capable, patriotic young American talent, we are in trouble.”

Democrats are trying to figure out where they will go from here after a crushing election defeat. The path to rebuilding a viable alliance is a challenge. Especially after President-elect Trump found a way to expand the Republican base and lure disaffected voters to him.

“It’s clear that the Democratic caucus has long valued people who have been here a long time,” Phillips said, criticizing the party for not recruiting “young, talented Americans.” He said if Democrats don’t “open up” to young voters, they “will continue to lose.”

Connolly believes the old versus young debate is “frankly a false narrative put forward by the media”.

But even with Connolly’s win, the party selected several younger lawmakers (remember, “young” is a relative term in Congress) to serve as ranking members on several committees.

New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, 77, resigned as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee and was replaced by the spirited 62-year-old Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. . Ras King recovered from lymphoma.

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Arizona Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva, 78, has been sidelined for much of the year with cancer. Grijalva served as the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. He resigned from the position, and Rep. Jared Huffman, 60, D-Calif., defeated a freshman in Congress, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, 45, D-Calif. Stansbury, as senior member.

“Only in Congress can I stay young at 60,” Huffman quipped. “So it’s like the fountain of youth.”

Like Grijalva, Rep. David Scott, 79, a Georgia Democrat, has missed much of the past year because of health issues. He is the ranking Democrat on the Agriculture Committee. Scott refused to step down. Reps. Jim Costa, 72, D-Calif., and Angie Craig, 52, D-Minn., challenged Scott as Democrats clashed over age and experience. .

“I didn’t know it was a conflict,” Costa said before the vote. “We have a great group of members in the Democratic caucus. Members who were elected in the most recent class. But certainly, we have a wealth of experience and a solid bench.”

Young Craig defeated Scott and Costa and took the agricultural rankings.

After winning, Craig stopped focusing on age. Instead, she addressed political realities.

“Democrats in general are not connecting with rural communities. That’s something we can do in my district. I represent District D+1, which I just won by about 14 points,” Craig said.

In other words, her southeastern Minnesota district was nominally Democratic, but the moderate Craig whipped her opponent.

“(When) we show up, we listen to people and they know we care about them and their lives,” Craig said. “I think Democrats need to do more. Show up. Listen. And make sure people know they care.”

You did spot 78-year-old Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, near the Capitol stairs as Democrats selected their committee leaders.

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In many ways, Kaptur is an anomaly in Congress.

Kaptur was first elected in 1982 and is the longest-serving woman in congressional history. She is an anti-abortion Democrat. Despite Kaptur’s seniority — and, one might argue, gender — she has never chaired any House committee or served as a top Democrat.

This is largely due to her stance on abortion. But Kaptur’s experience and Ocasio-Cortez’s experience bring the debate back to square one. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, endorsed Connolly over the New York Democrat. For years, Kaptur maintained that the powerful Pelosi also blocked her promotion.

“As far as the Appropriations Committee goes, the people who get elected in my party tend to be from the coasts,” Kaptur said. She said it took her a decade to get a seat on the Appropriations Committee. “I had to beat Nancy Pelosi by about five votes to do that. I started to understand how this organization called ‘Congress’ works.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is backing Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., to replace New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as top member of the House Oversight Committee One of the Democratic conservatives. (Kevin Dickey/Getty Images)

Kaptur said most of the top Democrats on the committee “are from the coasts. They’re not from our part of the country.”

Kaptur believes that if the party wants to win back the voters that President-elect Trump won in November, they must focus on “fundamental issues at home.”

“The president-elect is right when he talks about prices when he goes to McDonald’s, where many of my constituents work and eat,” Kaptur said.

She added that Trump struck a deal with working-class Americans by riding on a garbage truck.

“He brilliantly understood their plight,” Kaptur said.

Kaptur’s description is the essence of the entire presidential campaign. It explains many of the reasons for Trump’s victory. It highlights how Democrats are struggling to speak to “working class” Americans and those who live in the middle of America.

The Democratic tug-of-war will continue, with moderates and progressives — plus newcomers and old guard — battling over the party’s future.

But it’s hard to argue with Kaptur, either from an electoral experience or a political perspective. She won re-election in a state carried by Trump. Not to mention that Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, also won statewide.

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When it comes to key committee selections, Democrats have ignored lawmakers like Kaptur and left them out. Ocasio-Cortez lost to Connolly. Raskin, Huffman and Craig are now top Democrats on several committees. It’s a mix of younger members, but more pragmatic. Does this mean the Democrats have figured this out? not necessarily.

Check back in six months to see if these exercises represent a significant course correction.