Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) lost a vote Tuesday to represent Democrats on the powerful House Oversight Committee, in a stinging rebuke of her ambitions to join the party's leadership.

The 35-year-old progressive lost to veteran Virginia lawmaker Gerry Connoly, 74, who had the backing of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as the party chose seniority and experience over AOC's youthful energy. Connoly won the vote 131-84, despite his recent diagnosis with throat cancer.

Dems reject AOC

AOC's challenge set up a referendum on the party's identity after a bruising election that realized their worst nightmare - a second term of President Trump - while leaving Democrats in both houses of Congress in the minority.

In choosing Connolly to lead them, Democrats set aside concerns about age and health, issues that plagued the party in 2024 as their standard-bearer, President Biden, was forced to suspend his re-election campaign by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

Pelosi, who is 84, is formally no longer in leadership but remains a powerful figure in Congress, nonetheless. The endurance of Pelosi's influence was proven as Connolly won a vote from the Steering Committee, 34-27, on Monday, smoothing his path to a victory in the caucus vote.

"I think my colleagues were measuring their votes by who's got experience, who's seasoned, who can be trusted, who's capable on it, who's got a record of productivity. And I think that prevailed," he said after the full vote.

AOC cools off

Connolly has been in Congress since 2009. Ocasio-Cortez won in an upset against Joe Crowley in 2018, and quickly became known for her youthful, social media-driven brand of politics.

Now heading for her fourth congressional term, Ocasio-Cortez has lost some of her former radical fervor. In her bid to lead Oversight Democrats, she touted her work as a Biden-Harris campaign surrogate and promised to stop supporting primary challenges against Democrats.

Despite her overtures towards moderation, AOC carries ideological baggage that likely played a role in her defeat. Democrats are still reckoning with their branding problem after an electoral thrashing widely been seen as a rejection of "woke" progressivism, which AOC has long been identified with.

"While AOC is young, talented and incredibly inspiring to the progressive base, there’s been much conversation about whether it’s wise to promote the GOP’s favorite foil to lead a high-profile committee sure to provide the very content Republicans will use during the midterms to effectively define Dems as woke, Trump-hating leftists," one House Democrat told Politico ahead of the vote.

Stuck in the past?

AOC's defeat has disappointed progressives, who argue the party is failing to evolve and snubbing one of their best communicators.

Despite her setback, there is no sign that AOC is going anywhere. She has consistently won re-election in her New York City district, and she has gained a foothold in the Democratic establishment.

"The view of her is evolving," said Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) told Axios. "She seems to have changed her approach to legislating, and I think she's figured out how to rock the boat without tipping it over."

"We're going to need more players like that going forward," he added.