Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) defeated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (often referred to as AOC) for a coveted seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday following what Politico described as “a tense — and awkward — secret ballot vote.”

“Rice and Ocasio-Cortez have been battling behind the scenes for weeks to secure one of the few open seats on the exclusive committee, which oversees everything from health care policy to climate issues,” Politico reported.

At a private meeting of the Steering and Policy Committee, “Democrats were forced to choose between the two members in a tense — and awkward — secret ballot vote.”

Rice won in a vote of 46 to 13 after a few “moderate” Democrats lobbied against the radical freshman Congresswoman who is seen as a political threat for her far-left positions. Several Democrats called out her efforts to help more Progressive challengers take out their own incumbents, as well as her refusal to pay party campaign dues.