The race is on to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
The caucus will vote at 9 a.m. on June 24 by secret ballot.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar announced the date in a Dear Colleague letter that we scooped for you shortly after the Tuesday funeral of the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). Aguilar said he’d seek a waiver to hold the election a few days past the 30-day window stipulated by caucus rules.
It’s a competitive four-way race with no clear front-runner — at least for now. The contenders: Democratic Reps. Stephen Lynch (Mass.), Kweisi Mfume (Md.), Robert Garcia (Calif.) and Jasmine Crockett (Texas).
The timing is always awkward in races like this. Candidates need to move quickly to secure endorsements and try to box out other contenders. But everyone also wants to be respectful after the death of a beloved colleague. Lynch, Crockett and Mfume were all at Connolly’s funeral Tuesday.
What’s next: Expect to see some Dear Colleague letters in the coming days formally announcing candidacies, according to Democratic sources. The four members have already been working behind the scenes to gather support after Connolly announced weeks ago that he planned to step back from the post.
Lynch is the acting ranking member and can lean on seniority as he makes his pitch to members. He has been essentially auditioning for the role in Connolly’s absence, but has been passed over for the position more than once before.
The race is quickly becoming the latest fault line in the battle within the caucus — and the party — for generational change. It pits Lynch and Mfume, the senior members of the panel, against two sophomores.
Behind the scenes: In conversations with members, Garcia has stressed his executive experience serving as the mayor of a major city for eight years, according to a person familiar with his pitch. Garcia has also highlighted his willingness to be a team player, pay DCCC dues and donate to members in tough races.
Some members and aides said privately that Garcia could be a top candidate. He’s younger, a strong communicator and a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. But Garcia has a lot of work ahead of him to secure enough endorsements between now and the vote, according to Democrats we spoke to this week.
Some liberal activists and influencers, such as David Hogg, have been praising Crockett on podcasts and social media. Of course, they don’t vote in this election.
Crockett said she would seek the post in a Sunday interview on MSNBC. The Texas Democrat described herself as a brawler who would “fight fearlessly and ferociously for the American people” despite facing daily death threats.
“I am hoping and praying that my colleagues see that I can provide what we need as a team to make sure that we can move forward and instill some confidence in the American people,” she told MSNBC’s Alex Witt.
