AOC gets James Comer's endorsement for Democratic leader of the House Oversight Committee

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in the running to be the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee. The 35-year-old progressive announced her intentions in early December and now received an unexpected endorsement in the race: Republican James Comer.

Speaking to Fox News, the Oversight Committee chairman praised AOC and explained his endorsement when asked by co-host Arthel Neville.

"My endorsement of AOC is probably hurting her, which… I think is amusing. They're wanting to go back to another boring old guy like Gerry Connolly. But look, AOC is, you know, I think she represents a big segment of the Democratic Party that believes in socialism, that believes in the Green New Deal, that believes in Wokeism. So, if the Democrats want a real Democrat to lead the oversight committee on their side, I think AOC is perfect for them," he said.

Indeed, the progressive will face Conolly for the position. The Virginia congressman is a member of the center-left New Democrat Coalition.

 "All they're going to do is try to complain and obstruct and do things like that. But I think AOC is the best they got, if that tells you anything about the Democrats on the Oversight Committee. I think AOC is the best they got. (...) She's a lot nicer than Jamie Raskin, and she's pleasant to be around. So, yeah, again, they have nowhere to go but up after Jamie Raskin," Comer added, who has chaired the Oversight Committee since 2023.

"It's not a position I seek lightly"

Ocasio-Cortez, who joined the House in January 2019, explained the motives behind her candidacy in a statement to her colleagues, which she released in early December.

"This is not a position I seek lightly. The responsibility of leading Democrats on the House Oversight Committee during Donald Trump’s second term in the White House is a profound and consequential one. Now, more than ever, we must focus on the Committee’s strong history of both holding administrations accountable and taking on the economic precarity and inequality that is challenging the American way of life," the Democrat said.

According to CNN, if AOC wins the seat, it will raise her profile and give her a larger "national platform" that she can use to seek other positions in the future.

What does the House Oversight Committee do?

According to its website, the committee's mission is to "ensure the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the federal government and all its agencies."

"We provide a check and balance on the role and power of Washington - and a voice to the people it serves," it adds.