Politico reports:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is poised to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, punctuating a huge generational shift in the party’s power centers amid a sudden overthrow of senior leaders.

Ocasio-Cortez, 35, and Rep. Gerry Connolly, 74, have been canvassing the entire Democratic Caucus as they compete for the ranking position on Oversight next year — making calls, meeting with influential blocs in the party and laying out their vision for the high-profile panel. But according to interviews with a dozen members and staffers, Ocasio-Cortez has earned the support of the majority of Democrats on the panel, though it’s the Steering and Policy Committee and the full caucus who ultimately decide. The Oversight panel is stacked with younger, more progressive members who tend to align more with her than Connolly.

Separately, two top Democrats on other House panels have withdrawn to make room for younger leaders, and 79-year-old Rep. David Scott of Georgia is on the verge of being pushed aside from a top spot on House Agriculture.

It’s an unexpected climb for the New York progressive, a former bartender who first rose to power six years ago as an outsider willing to topple the party’s old guard — in that case former Rep. Joseph Crowley.

Her latest move is a sign that she’s staking her political future on ascending in the House, at least for now. She has declined to mount primary challenges against the two sitting senators in her state, Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer. She’s shored up her relationships with the new generation of House leaders, after a rocky start with the previous iteration, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She pays her dues to the caucus’ campaign arm and donates to colleagues in battleground districts. And she stumped on the campaign trail as a surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris, much to the chagrin of some liberals.

“She’s a very effective messenger, and that’s kind of the conclusion people have drawn from this election — that we haven’t had effective messengers,” said Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), a senior member of the caucus. [Continue reading…]