Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is attempting to thwart Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) candidacy to lead Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, according to multiple reports.

Punchbowl News and Axios both report that Pelosi has been pushing colleagues to support Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Ocasio-Cortez’s opponent, for the powerful ranking member position on the Oversight Committee.

Punchbowl News, which first broke the news, reports that Pelosi is “actively working to tank” Ocasio-Cortez.

While 35-year-old Ocasio-Cortez, who only entered Congress in 2019, served as vice ranking member to Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) this Congress, Connolly, 74, has served on the Oversight Committee since 2011.

One Democrat lawmaker told Axios that the trend of older Democrats facing challenges for key positions is beginning to cause worry within the party. 

“Many members are concerned about [the] precedent these races are setting,” a senior House Democrat told Axios.

A similar situation unfolded in the race for the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat position. Raskin challenged current Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who ultimately decided to step down from seeking another term as the top Democrat, putting Raskin on a glide path to the position.

But the efforts of Pelosi, who was hospitalized after sustaining an injury abroad in Luxembourg on Friday, to thwart Ocasio-Cortez could be all for naught. Virtually all Democrats on the Oversight Committee support Ocasio-Cortez’s bid, an anonymous House Democrat told Axios.

“That is something that House Democrats’ Steering Committee – which meets Tuesday to make its recommendations – will take seriously, the lawmaker said,” per the outlet.

The steering committee will recommend who should lead Democrats on the committee before the conference has an official vote.

When she announced her candidacy last week, Ocasio-Cortez wrote, “This is not a position I seek lightly.”

“The responsibility of leading Democrats on the House Oversight Committee during Donald Trump’s second term in the White House is a profound and consequential one,” she added.