Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) had a blunt message for fellow Democrats on Saturday as she weighed in on Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) defeating Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in a vote to become the top-ranking party member in the House Oversight Committee next month.
“While I think that both are absolutely qualified, I do think that within the Democratic caucus, we are really stuck in our old ways of doing things, which is you get there by seniority,” said Crockett in an appearance on MSNBC.
“And so if you’ve been there longer, then you get the post. And I don’t think that we fully sit there and say, ‘Who may be best equipped for this moment?’”
The support of the Democratic caucus for Connolly, who is 74-years-old, over Ocasio-Cortez, who is 35-years-old, was met with backlash from critics who have arguedin favor of a new generation taking over party leadership as Republicans have control of the House, Senate and White House in 2025.
Such critics include outgoing-Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) who, in remarks published by The Boston Globe on Thursday, said she’s “trying to set a better example” as she decided to not seek reelection after six terms in Congress.
“I think there are colleagues — and some of whom are still very successful and very productive — but others who just stay forever,” said Kuster, who added that she’s “not the best gladiator” right now for a Trump-led Washington.
Crockett, a member of the House Oversight Committee, said Americans are looking to see if Democrats are willing to “shake it up if it means that we can move this country forward.”
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She said the committee is going to be “great” under Connolly’s leadership, adding that he’s not new and he’s “very true to this.”
Crockett said she expects the party will talk about how it handles committee leadership positions, noting that the Republican Conference has rules that limit chairs and ranking members to no more than three consecutive terms.