WASHINGTON - Rep. Gerry Connolly announced surprisingly that he plans to resign soon as the House Oversight Committee top Democrats have sparked a battle for his success, which could put the party’s old guard against a group of progressives who actively oppose President Donald Trump.

Connolly, 75, said Monday that his esophageal cancer has recovered after "hard treatment" and he will not seek reelection next year. The decision of the Virginia Democrat only came after he defeated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, DN.Y. It appeared four months later.

If Democrats take back the House in next year's midterm elections, the ranking members will serve as committee chairs and have the right to issue a subpoena to the Trump administration.

Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch said Tuesday he will take over as an interim ranking member and will take charge of daily responsibilities as Connolly focuses on his health. Lynch said Connolly has promised to officially open the role.

Lynch, 70, has served in the House of Representatives since 2001. I have worked with him for nearly 25 years. So we traveled together - Iraq, Afghanistan - we have conducted our surveys and we worked together a lot of things. There are a lot of things out there. There was a group of friendships there. ”

A handful of progressives on the panel - representing Ro Khanna, D-Calif. , 48; Kweisi Mfume, D-Md. , 76; Maxwell Frost, D-Fla. , 28; lawmakers told NBC News that Jasmine Crockett, 44, has contacted colleagues and expressed interest in the oversight committee post.

But Democrats say there is one person who can clear the field of progressives if she decides to seek a position: Ocasio-Cortez. The 35-year-old New York Democrat, who has millions of followers on social media, is raising a lot of campaign cash and is quietly building support within the Capitol.

Frost, who supported Ocasio-Cortez's oversight bid last year, told NBC News on Tuesday that he would be interested in the work if the vacancy was opened. But Frost said he would endorse Ocasio-Cortez if she decides to run. Other progressives who looked at the post said they would also rally after Ocasio-Cortez.

“We will blend around her,” said a progressive member of the Oversight Committee.

However, for Ocasio-Cortez, it's not an easy process. To rejoin the oversight committee, Ocasio-Cortez needs a House Democratic caucus to give it an exemption, which sometimes occurs in special circumstances.

Ocasio-Cortez has not yet raised any signs that she wants to work or plans to seek exemptions. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In recent weeks, she has been with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt).

The oversight committee’s work could boost Ocasio-Cortez’s national ambitions, handing her a formal platform to investigate and keep the Trump administration’s heat.

Lynch delayed the idea that Ocasio-Cortez could be easily granted a waiver to seek the position.

"If you're not on the committee, it's going to be hard to run by the rules," Lynch said.

The Democratic leaders did not weigh in, believing that it was not open yet, as Connolly remains a technically ranked member and remains a member of Congress.

Lynch gave a speech on the oversight committee’s efforts after the Democratic Party’s closing meeting.

Many people who are following potential bids declined to comment on future matches, saying they are focused on supporting Connolly.

"He and his family are in my mind and prayers. I focus on the work of the committee and hopeful Rep. Connolly will recover and come back," Karnar told NBC News on Tuesday.

Mfume also said he focused his ideas on Connolly, saying they worked closely on the oversight committee and centers in Virginia and Maryland.

"My comment is my heartfelt comment to my friend Gerry. I think it's too early to talk about what's going to happen next," Mfume said in an interview. "He's really true when I say he's a dear friend.

Mfume represents D-Md. The seat held by the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, who served as a ranking member and chairman of the oversight committee during Trump’s first term.

Several Democrats have been the party’s first on the committee since Cummings’ death in October 2019. Carolyn Maloney, DN.Y., the most senior Democrat in the panel, became interim chairman and eventually competed with Connolly, Lynch and then-Rep. D-Calif.

Speier and Lynch eventually gave up on their bid, and Maloney easily beat Connolly. But Maloney eventually lost her primary in New York in 2022 due to the re-division, opening up the oversight committee post again.

D-Md's Rep. Jamie Raskin established national visibility at Trump's impeachment and Jan. 6 hearings and was defeated in the oversight post. But after the 2024 election, Ruskin decided to run for another job on the Judiciary Committee. The third time was Connolly's charm, who beat Ocasio-Cortez's challenge to vote 131-84.

The battle is like many of the battles that took place within the Democratic Party following Trump's 2024 victory, focusing on the idea passed down from generation to generation.

Lynch told reporters that experience should be considered a matter.

Lynch said the committee “has more young members, newer members, and they’re going up quickly in this committee.” “So, I think there’s some mix of experience needed… It’s a committee of inquiry. I’m a lawyer. Gerry and I did a lot of investigations. I think it’s valuable.”