WASHINGTON — Democrats on Tuesday will select their new leader on the House Oversight Committee, a lawmaker who will play a critical role in investigating President Donald Trump and his administration in the next Congress if the party takes control of the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections.
It’s a highly competitive, four-way race for the top Democratic slot on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, with no clear front-runner.
But the race has broken down along generational lines, with two younger upstarts in their 40s vying for the job against two seasoned septuagenarians on the committee. And it comes amid concerns from some members of the party that aging Democrats don’t have the energy or tactical abilities to take on Trump in such a hypercharged political environment.
The opening on the Oversight Committee occurred after Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., died of cancer at 75 last month, just five months after he beat back a challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 35, of New York, for the ranking member position.
The four Democratic lawmakers running this time around are: Rep. Stephen Lynch, 70, of Massachusetts, the current acting ranking member on the panel; Rep. Kweisi Mfume, 76, of Maryland, a senior member of the panel and the former president of the NAACP; Rep. Robert Garcia, 47, of California, who previously was the first Latino and first openly gay mayor of Long Beach; and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, 44, of Texas, a former civil rights attorney and rising star in the party.
On Monday night, the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is closely aligned with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., will vote to make a recommendation about who should lead Oversight Committee Democrats. Then, on Tuesday morning, the full Democratic caucus will vote in a closed-door, secret-ballot election.
Lynch, who has served in Congress since 2001, is the most senior of the four, and received Connolly’s endorsement shortly before his death. Connolly also had tapped Lynch to fill in for him as acting ranking member when he took a leave of absence in April.
The Massachusetts Democrat has argued there is a need for “experience” in the leadership role, especially given that most members on the panel have only served a few terms in Congress.
Garcia and Crockett were both elected to Congress in 2022. Garcia, who immigrated with his mother from Peru at a young age, got a big boost when he was endorsed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, an influential voting bloc.
Both Mfume and Crockett are members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), a large 62-member group that in the past has swayed some leadership races. But because two of its members are running, the CBC is staying neutral. The CBC also has long been a proponent of Democrats’ seniority system, which typically favors the most senior member of a committee. But that view appears to be evolving as the makeup of the overall caucus changes, the group’s chairwoman said.
“For the CBC, [seniority] still remains a mainstay,” CBC Chair Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., said. “But I think that as the body has newer and newer members, they’re looking at another sort of additional matrix in terms of making those determinations.”
In an interview, Mfume said he did not view it as a disadvantage that two CBC members are running against each other.
“People should remember, we’re not monolithic. Never have been,” he said.
Mfume’s first stint in Congress was between 1987 to 1996, when he accepted the job to lead the NAACP. Another Maryland Democrat, Elijah Cummings, succeeded Mfume in Congress and went on to become chairman of the Oversight Committee. But when Cummings died in 2019, Mfume won his old House seat back.
Asked if he’s the right person to take on Trump, Mfume replied: “I think I’m one of the right persons. I don’t think that anybody is the this or the that, but … I’ve been standing up to him since he’s been in office.”
The ranking member of the Oversight Committee has limited power. But if Democrats win back control of the House in the midterms, they will hold all of the committee gavels.
And one of the most powerful and far-reaching is the Oversight gavel. With it, Democrats would have broad authority to investigate Trump and his administration.
Crockett made a big splash during her speech at the Democratic National Convention last summer, and she has a penchant for going viral during TV appearances, at committee hearings and on social media.
More recently, she differentiated herself from her rivals by saying she would pursue impeachment against Trump in 2027 if she becomes the Oversight Committee chairman, even though it’s unclear if enough House Democrats would support the move and the Senate would be unlikely to convict him.
“Just because we don’t have the votes doesn’t mean that it’s OK to violate the Constitution, it’s OK to violate federal law, it’s OK to violate state law,” Crockett said. “Like, that doesn’t mean that it’s OK, and I want the American people to know that I know it’s not OK.”
“And ultimately, when you head to the polls, you need to blame the Republicans,” she continued, “because the Republicans are the ones that decided to avoid their oath to the Constitution and swear their open loyalty to the man in the White House.”
Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel, 77, of Florida, is backing Crockett, who she says has a rare ability to reach voters, even in Frankel’s West Palm Beach district.
“The common complaint that we hear is what are Democrats doing to fight back? And she is. She’s a proven fighter,” Frankel said.
“Nothing to take away from any of those other gentlemen, but I was at a town hall meeting with 200 people over the age of 75,” she continued. “And the thing that got the biggest applause of the night is when I said, ‘I’m supporting Jasmine Crockett for Oversight chair.’ People knew who she was. They were screaming.”
