Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX) is no longer seeking her party's top seat on the powerful House Oversight Committee after a cool reception from her fellow Democrats.
The controversial lawmaker said she would have launched an impeachment inquiry into President Trump if Democrats won back the House and she became chair of the Oversight Committee.
Her flashy, aggressive style was too much for most Democrats, who elected California Rep. Robert Garcia, a 47-year-old staunch leftist born in Peru.
Garcia had the backing of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus and California's Democratic delegation, the biggest in Congress.
This is only Garcia's second term as a congressman. He was among the Democrats who traveled to El Salvador to advocate for the return of accused trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia, in a spectacle that reinforced the party's image as weak on immigration and crime.
Democrats are still without direction months into Trump's second term, but they seem to realize that Crockett's attention-grabbing style is not what will help them convince voters that they are serious about governing. Crockett is aware of that perception.
“It was clear by the numbers that my style of leadership is not exactly what they were looking for and so I didn’t think that it was fair for me to then push forward,” Crockett told The Dallas Morning News.
Crockett came dead last in a closed-door vote by the Democratic steering committee, which recommended Garcia for the position of ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.
Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) also quit after a poor showing from the steering committee, and Garcia defeated the sole remaining candidate, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Ma.)
The position was opened up after Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly died from cancer at age 75, mere months after he defeated challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Ny) for the ranking member job.
Connolly's death in office sparked a fresh debate on the Democratic party's aging leadership, which has faced criticism from the left over its cautious approach to confronting Trump.
Democrats dismissed an impeachment attempt from 77-year-old rabblerouser Al Green (D-Tx.) almost as soon as it was introduced Tuesday, with 128 Democrats helping to block the resolution.
Crockett pushed back on Democratic critics of her impeachment plans, saying she would have used the Oversight Committee to conduct an impeachment inquiry into Trump's conduct rather than try to remove Trump from office, something Democrats have tried unsuccessfully in the past.
Ultimately, Crockett said she's staying true to herself, and it's working for her so far.
“At the end of the day, I am who I am, and I believe that my authenticity is what works, and it definitely works for my district in the state of Texas,” Crockett said.
