Blue Dog Coalition to Face Post-Election Shake-up

The Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democratic House members is likely to face a major upheaval after the election. That’s because the drubbing that Democrats might receive should send some Blue Dogs back home, Roll Call reports. In addition, one of the group’s main founders, Rep. John Tanner of Tennessee, is retiring.

“We don’t know what the leadership positions will be like, because we don’t know the outcome of the election,” says Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., a senior blue dog who said the group may well lose half of its 54 members in a Republican blowout.

With Tanner out, Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida may be elevated to a leadership role. The blue dogs respect him for his policy and fundraising skills. And he’s close to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who consistently has sought good relations with the group. Moderate Democrats formed the coalition after Republicans seized control of Congress in the 1994 elections.