Robert Garcia announces bid for Oversight ranking member
Rep. Robert Garcia on Thursday announced his intention to run for the top Democratic spot on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, according to a letter to colleagues obtained by POLITICO.
Garcia, a California Democrat who represents parts of Los Angeles County, emphasized in the letter his experience as the former mayor of Long Beach — and suggested his caucus needed to value both the experiences of 'seasoned legislators with the fresh energy and bold ideas of our newer Members.'
The 47-year-old, who is in his second term in the House, is the first lawmaker to formally announce his candidacy in a race that will likely test generational tensions in the Democracy Party.
'Oversight is the heart of Congress' responsibility to the American people — exposing corruption, protecting taxpayer dollars, reforming government, and demanding transparency from those in power,' Garcia wrote. 'We must ensure that government works for working families, not only for the wealthy and well-connected.'
Garcia, who also pointed to the role's significance in the party's accountability efforts aimed at the current administration, stressed that the oversight ranking member position was not just about opposing President Donald Trump. The job also required a focus on good governance, including protecting the Government Accountability Office and the independence of inspectors general, he said.
Republicans have increasingly attacked GAO, Congress' investigative body for federal agencies, and Trump dismissed a number of the independent agency watchdogs early in his tenure.
Informal jockeying for the party's top spot on the Oversight Committee began when Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the committee's former ranking member, announced he would step aside amid a battle with esophageal cancer. Connolly died at age 75 earlier this month.
On Tuesday, Democratic leadership announced the election for Connolly's successor would take place June 24. Candidates will first go before House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which will then make recommendations for the full caucus.
Other Democratic Reps. who have suggested they may run are 70-year-old Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts, 76-year-old Kweisi Mfume of Maryland, and 44-year-old Jasmine Crockett of Texas.
Crockett told former CNN host Jim Acosta in an interview Wednesday she was gearing up to launch a bid. She'd previously wavered after the Black Caucus signaled it would back Mfume, who is a more senior member, before ultimately deciding to forge ahead.
"Yeah, absolutely, this is a position in which my colleagues will be the ones to decide,' Crockety said in the interview when asked about her interest in the position. 'The question is, 'why me?' And I think it's a matter of who else but me in this moment."
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