AOC’s Oversight rise marks Democratic generational shift

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. “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, a senior member of the caucus. We’re not going to get it done unless we have the seats in the House,” said Rep. Becca Balint, a progressive who is close with the New York congresswoman. “She, obviously, is a rising talent, and she has the right to use this occasion to express her concerns, so it’ll be interesting to see what materializes when they make their presentations.” Most current Democrats on the Oversight Committee, which is stacked with some of the most liberal, outspoken members of the caucus, are expected to back Ocasio-Cortez, according to the dozen members and staffers, though she’ll need to be approved by the Steering and Policy Committee and the full caucus. “He’s excellent at what he does.” “Gerry asked me a couple weeks back, so I committed to him long before Alex got in the race,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume said.