Forty-seven-year-old Garcia, who is only on his second term in Congress, defeated Representative Stephen Lynch, one of the most senior Democrats on the committee, in a 150–63 secret-ballot vote.

Lynch, 70, had previously served as the ranking member when former Representative Gerry Connolly took a leave of absence in April. Connolly’s passing last month allowed Republicans in Congress to passDonald Trump’s gargantuan spending bill, undermining a Democratic agenda and summoning broad scrutiny on the liberal party’s efficacy and reluctance to elevate younger voices. Notably Connolly, whose condition was publicly known, was chosen over the much younger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration targeted Garcia for his opposition to the Department of Government Efficiency’s corporate-style takeover of the federal government.

“What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight. This is an actual fight for democracy,” Garcia said in February. Shortly afterward, he received a letter from Washington’s district attorney as if he’d made a threat on Elon Musk’s life.