House Democrats announced three new committee leadership positions on Tuesday, concluding a post-election reshuffling that saw several veteran lawmakers lose their roles. The caucus voted to appoint Virginia’s Gerry Connolly as the ranking member of the House Oversight & Accountability Committee, Minnesota’s Angie Craig as the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, and California’s Jared Huffman as the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee. These appointments were announced via posts on X.
Connolly’s appointment fills the vacancy left by Maryland’s Jamie Raskin, who successfully challenged for the top Democratic position on the House Judiciary Committee. Unlike Connolly, who defeated New York progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the other promotions displaced more senior members. Craig, in her fourth term, successfully challenged Georgia’s David Scott, who had just won his twelfth term. Scott withdrew his bid on Monday. California’s Rep. Jim Costa also competed for the position. Before Scott, the committee’s top Democrat was former Rep. Collin Peterson, also from Minnesota.
Huffman’s victory over Arizona’s Raúl Grijalva marked another upset. Grijalva, 76, who underwent cancer treatment this year, had held the Natural Resources position for a decade but withdrew his bid this month. Despite Grijalva’s endorsement of New Mexico’s Melanie Stansbury, Huffman secured the position.
Connolly’s win over Ocasio-Cortez was the only victory for a more senior member in the contested committee elections. Connolly is beginning his ninth term, while Ocasio-Cortez is in her fourth. The Oversight seat opened due to Raskin’s successful challenge to long-serving New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, who had chaired or been ranking member of the Judiciary Committee for three terms.
In a statement, Raskin praised Connolly as the ideal candidate to oversee the incoming Trump administration. He lauded Connolly’s “tenacity, zeal, and fighting spirit” and expressed confidence in his leadership. Conversely, the progressive group Our Revolution criticized the selection as a missed opportunity, arguing Ocasio-Cortez better represented working-class values and a new generation of leadership.
At a press conference, Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar congratulated both the winners and those who ran against them, acknowledging the diverse viewpoints within the caucus. House Democratic leaders stated their intention to prioritize economic issues and to cooperate with President-elect Donald Trump’s administration where possible. However, they strongly criticized Trump for his apparent backtracking on his campaign promise to curb inflation and for his continued focus on tax cuts for the wealthy. Rep. Maxwell Frost and Rep. Debbie Dingell also voiced concerns about Trump’s plans, particularly his proposed privatization of the U.S. Postal Service.