Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett this week announced she’s joining the race for the Democratic party’s top spot on the House Oversight committee. The position is open after the death of U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia late last month.
Crockett joins three others vying for the position: Reps. Robert Garcia of California, Kweisi Mfume of Maryland and Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts. The election is scheduled for June 24.
“It’s a pretty high-profile panel that has usually been responsible for fighting back against the current administration,” said Kayla Guo, politics reporter for The Texas Tribune. “In her letter to colleagues announcing her bid, she’s argued that she is in the best position to communicate Democrats’ case against President Trump and his administration, to hold him accountable.”
Crockett is serving her second term in Congress but is already considered by some to be a rising star among House Democrats.
“We’ve seen a lot of viral moments from her in this committee,” Guo said. “She’s sort of known for her clap backs against Republicans and online, and also in the committee. So that could be totally used to her advantage to win this perch.”
Hear more stories from the week in Texas politics in the audio player above.
