Outspoken Rep. Jasmine Crockett has had a political setback, as she has withdrawn her attempt to take the top Democratic position within a powerful congressional committee. This is the second such setback for Crockett in recent months.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, confirmed on Tuesday to the Texas Tribune that she was dropping her bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. Crockett had announced her intentions to run for the top committee spot in early June, after the death of Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Virginia, left the position open. The Oversight Committee would likely lead investigations into the Trump administration should Democrats retake the House, and winning the top Democratic position would have set up Crockett to chair the committee under a future Democratic majority in the House. At the time she announced her candidacy, Crockett wrote in a letter to her colleagues that “every hearing, every investigation, every public moment must serve the dual purpose of accountability and must demonstrate why a House Democratic majority is essential for America’s future.” Three other Democrats — Robert Garcia of California, Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Kweisi Mfume of Maryland — also declared their candidacies for the position.
Contest over leadership and age
The Democratic Party struggles with issues of messaging, progressive vs. centrist policy positions, and divides between younger and older party leaders, and Crockett, 44, represents a younger, more progressive and more media savvy wing of the Democratic Party. She and Garcia, 47, ran against two older party members: Lynch, 70, and Mfumi, 76. In the end, after Crockett and Mfumi both dropped their bids, Democrats ultimately selected Garcia for the top Democratic position. Crockett congratulated Garcia, tweeting, “The work of this committee has never been more critical. Let’s get the American people the accountability they deserve.”
Efforts to rise up the ranks
Crockett’s defeat is the second major setback she has faced during her efforts to rise up the ranks of party leadership. In November, she failed in a bid to become chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, a position that would have given Crockett significant power over reshaping the party’s messaging. Crockett, who enjoys a large social media following and whose outspokenness and turns of phrase often go viral, faced criticism earlier this year for referring to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, as “Governor Hot Wheels.” Nevertheless, Crockett remains one of the rising stars and most outspoken members of the Democratic Party, which makes her a frequent target for Republican critique. President Donald Trump recently mocked Crockett as a “Low IQ Candidate” while sarcastically recommending that the Democrats nominate her and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as their next presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
