Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, on Tuesday, June 24, became the ranking member on the powerful House Oversight Committee, a rare feat for someone only in his second term in Congress and one that some believe signals the start of a potential generational shift in leadership within the Democratic Party.

It was a decisive win for the former mayor of Long Beach. Garcia received 150 votes among House Democrats while Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch received 63 votes.

Lynch, 70, has served in Congress since 2001 and was serving as acting ranking member on the Oversight Committee after Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat from Virginia, stepped back in April as he battled cancer. Connolly died last month at age 75.

Garcia, 47, was first elected to Congress in 2022 and is now in his third year. He represents California’s 42nd Congressional District, which includes Long Beach and Southeast Los Angeles.

“Experience and seniority is really important and is an important part of the Democratic Caucus,” Garcia said in an interview Tuesday.

“But at the same time,” he added, “we’ve got to expand the tent. … As I talked to a lot of members, a lot of them mentioned to me that this is an opportunity to bring in new voices, expand the party and bring some of the next generation into leadership. I respect that. I’m excited about that challenge and the work ahead.”

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform oversees investigations and has the power to issue subpoenas.

Because Republicans control the House, Garcia and his Democratic colleagues have less say in setting the Oversight Committee’s agenda. However, should Democrats take back the House after next year’s midterm elections, Garcia would become chair of the committee.

Garcia said it’s important to hold President Donald Trump and his administration accountable for their actions, as well as billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who Garcia accused of “dismantling our government” while actively heading up Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency before recently scaling back his involvement.

“Even as we (Democrats) don’t have the majority in Congress or the committee, we have the power of investigations, we have the power of our hearings,” Garcia said. “So we’re going to push aggressively to ensure that the American public knows that we’re out here to defend them, their rights and our country.”

At the same time, Garcia said there’s much that Democrats can do now to address government reform.

Before being elected to Congress, Garcia served eight years as the mayor of Long Beach – California’s seventh most populous city and the second largest one by population in Los Angeles County.

During his time as mayor, Garcia said, he worked to make government more efficient and effective and to deliver services that are impactful to residents. He intends to focus on similar objectives on the House Oversight Committee, he said.

Tuesday’s vote to elect the ranking member of the Oversight Committee was done by secret ballot, but Garcia said he believed he had overwhelming support from California’s congressional delegation, the largest of any of the states.

Among fellow Californian Democrats who supported Garcia was former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi, whose father and brother served as mayors of Baltimore, pointed to Garcia’s past mayoral experience, as well as their hailing from the same state, as to why she supported him, according to The Hill.

“I’m partial to mayors,” Pelosi said, as reported in The Hill. “(Garcia) was a mayor for eight years in a significant city in California, so he knows management, and he knows messaging.”

Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, celebrated Garcia’s new role on Tuesday.

“We in the CHC are proud that one of our own will take on this important role,” Espaillat said in a statement.

“Garcia’s rise from immigrant to becoming only the second Latino to currently hold a committee leadership role in Congress is a powerful reminder of the promise of this country and the strength of our democracy,” he added.

Garcia emigrated from Peru as a child and was raised in Southern California. He became a U.S. citizen in his twenties, according to his biography on his congressional webpage.

The race to replace Connolly as ranking member on the Oversight Committee started with four Democrats heading into this week, but Reps. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland and Jasmine Crockett of Texas withdrew their names before Tuesday’s vote.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 35, had also sought to become the ranking member on the Oversight Committee last year, but lost to Connolly, who was more than twice her age.

Some view Garcia’s election on Tuesday as a sign that the tide is changing in terms of Democratic leadership.

Although relatively new to the Washington scene, Garcia has seen a swift ascension in his political career.

He became president of his Democratic freshman class in 2022. Two years later, he was chosen among his colleagues to a key Democratic Caucus leadership role to represent newer members of Congress – specifically, those who have served fewer than five terms.

In January, Garcia was named to the Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, a new House panel.

Asked if he felt pressure to prove that younger members of Congress can step up and lead, Garcia projected confidence.

“I feel ready. I was pretty young when I got elected mayor of Long Beach – a big city, half a million people. We worked hard and we got that job done. I think the same (applies) here,” he said. “This is a moment for Democrats to think big, to have a forward-looking agenda, have bold leadership. And that’s what I intend to bring.”