Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday formally launched a bid to lead Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in the next Congress — a powerful seat that will play a prominent role in the party's effort to push back against President-elect Trump in his second term.

The move sets up a contest between Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) to replace the panel's current ranking member, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who is stepping down to assume the top spot on the Judiciary Committee next year.

"This is not a position I seek lightly," she wrote in a letter to colleagues. "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. Now, more than ever,........

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