Far-left U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is gunning for one of the U.S. House of Representatives' most coveted positions: the top spot on the House Oversight Committee. 

The Washington Examiner reports that Ocasio-Cortez is in the race for the spot, which is being vacated by U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD).

Per the outlet:

After a week of speculation and confirmation from the New York congresswoman that she would “soon” be making a decision on whether to run for leadership, Ocasio-Cortez announced Friday that she is launching a bid to become ranking member of the powerful committee that led Republicans’ investigations into President Joe Biden and his family.

The Examiner has obtained a copy of the letter that she sent around to her colleagues.

The details

In her letter, Ocasio-Cortez wrote, "This is not a position I seek lightly."

"The responsibility of leading Democrats on the House Oversight Committee during Donald Trump’s second term in the White House is a profound and consequential one," the letter reads.

It continues, "Now, more than ever, we must focus on the Committee’s strong history of both holding administrations accountable and taking on the economic precarity and inequality that is challenging the American way of life."

The question now is whether Ocasio-Cortez has enough support in the House to land this role.

The answer is unclear.

Looking forward

She will be facing off against U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA).

The Examiner writes:

Ocasio-Cortez and Connolly are the only expected members to jockey for the ranking member position after current ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) announced he is running to be the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

Since the Democrats' defeat in the 2024 election, the question has been in what direction the party will go, considering that it is not obvious who will replace President Joe Biden atop the Democratic Party.

Political commentators have suggested that there are two main options: one option would be finding another Democrat establishment-type individual and the other option would be to allow the Democrats' far-left wing, represented by Ocasio-Cortez, to take the reigns.

Whether or not Ocasio-Cortez gets the nod for the Oversight position will give us some idea of which direction the Democratic Party will go in the coming years. The bigger question will be who will emerge as the Democrats' next presidential nominee. Reports have suggested that Ocasio-Cortez may try to position herself for that spot as well.