House Democrats have finally elected a representative under 50 to a position of senior leadership, nominating California Rep. Robert Garcia, 47, to lead the party on the House Oversight Committee. With just two congressional terms under his belt, Garcia will be the least-tenured Democrat to lead the Oversight Committee, but won the nomination after pitching himself on his experience as the former mayor of Long Beach and his commitment to challenging the Republicans’ agenda. His victory was considered a foregone conclusion after rivals Kweisi Mfume, 76, and Jasmine Crockett, 44, dropped out prior to the vote, leaving him the sole challenger against incumbent Stephen Lynch, 70, who assumed his seniority would lead him to victory. His election marks a major triumph for the party’s youth wing, who have been attempting to replace the Democratic old guard with a new generation of leadership. The Committee spot opened up following the death of Rep. Gerry Connelly in May, who beat challenger to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the post last year and was described by colleagues at the time as “a young 74, cancer, notwithstanding.”
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