Rep. Robert Garcia elected as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee

Garcia, 47, in just his second term, defeated a more senior lawmaker to succeed the late Rep. Gerry Connolly on the panel, which provides oversight of the Trump administration.
WASHINGTON — Democrats on Tuesday elected Rep. Robert Garcia of California as their leader on the House Oversight Committee, installing a young, fresh face in one of the party’s key roles to take on President Donald Trump.
It marks a rapid ascent for Garcia, 47, who is only in his second term Congress. Some lawmakers have served decades on Capitol Hill and have never become a committee chairman or ranking member.
Garcia would be in line to chair the powerful Oversight Committee if Democrats win control of the House in next year's midterm elections.
There initially had been four candidates vying to succeed the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., on the Oversight Committee. But two of them — Reps. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland and Jasmine Crockett of Texas — dropped out of the race after poor showings in a vote Monday night in the Democratic steering committee, a little-known but influential panel closely aligned with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. and his leadership team.
The steering panel overwhelmingly recommended Garcia for the job.
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