AOC opens the floodgates for a chaotic House Dem free-for-all

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) surprise announcement Tuesday that she will not run to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee could lead to a hotly contested, multi-candidate fight for the role.Why it matters: No one candidate has emerged as the obvious frontrunner to replace Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), with some young progressives scrambling to find a standard-bearer in place of Ocasio-Cortez.Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) has spoken to colleagues about a run but stressed that he won't make an announcement until Connolly formally steps down, according to several lawmakers he has spoken to and other sources familiar with the matter.Garcia, 47, serves as the leadership representative for House Democrats who have served five terms or fewer — making him one of the few potential candidates who has won a caucus election.State of play: Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), the 70-year-old senior Oversight member serving as "interim" ranking member in Connolly's stead, has said he is running for the role.Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), 44, is also seen as a likely candidate — though her crushing loss in a leadership election last year has given some fellow young progressives pause.The election is shaping up to be a battle between the party's old guard and a crop of younger lawmakers looking to bypass the seniority system to put up a more vigorous opposition to the Trump administration.What they're saying: "I think a lot of people were waiting to see what Alexandria did," one senior House progressive told Axios on the condition of anonymity.Some potential candidates, such as 28-year-old Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), had said they would only seek the role if Ocasio-Cortez wasn't running."Half the committee is going to run for the seat," joked Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), a progressive former member of the panel.What we're hearing: While Lynch and Crockett both have their supporters, a pro-Garcia camp is now emerging.A second House Democrat who spoke to Axios on the condition of anonymity said members are privately urging Garcia to jump into the race.The lawmaker called Garcia one of the party's "strongest, most strategic communicators."

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