Blue Dog Coalition

From dKosopedia

Category: Democrats

The Blue Dog Coalition is a group of 35 conservative and moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives. The name is a pun that refers to the Southern description of a Democratic Party loyalist as a "yellow dog Democrat," that is, someone who will vote for a yellow dog if it is on the Democratic ticket; and to the sense that moderates in the Democratic Party had been "choked blue." You can see their website here: Blue Dog Coalition.

Fun Facts!

• At the opening of the 108th Congress, four members of the Blue Dog Coalition refused to cast their votes for the Democratic candidate for Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi. The four were Reps. Gene Taylor, who voted instead for Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha, and Ralph Hall (then still a Democrat), Ken Lucas and Charlie Stenholm, who voted "Present." Taylor has habitually withheld his vote for the Democratic candidate, having voted either for Murtha or simply voting "Present" rather than voting for former Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt.

List of Members as of 2005

• Joe Baca (CA)
• John Barrow (GA)
• Marion Berry (AR)
• Sanford Bishop (GA)
• Dan Boren (OK)
• Leonard Boswell (IA)
• Allen Boyd (FL)
• Dennis Cardoza (CA) - Co-chair for Communications
• Ed Case (HI)
• Ben Chandler (KY)
• Jim Cooper (TN) - Co-chair for Policy
• Jim Costa (CA)
• Robert Cramer (AL)
• Lincoln Davis (TN)
• Harold Ford, Jr. (TN)
• Jane Harman (CA)
• Stephanie Herseth (SD)
• Tim Holden (PA)
• Steve Israel (NY)
• Mike McIntyre (NC)
• Jim Matheson (UT) - Co-chair for Administration
• Charlie Melancon (LA)
• Mike Michaud (ME)
• Dennis Moore (KS)
• Collin Peterson (MN)
• Earl Pomeroy (ND)
• Mike Ross (AR) - Blue Dog Whip
• John Salazar (CO)
• Loretta Sanchez (CA)
• Adam Schiff (CA)
• David Scott (GA)
• John Tanner (TN)
• Ellen Tauscher (CA)
• Gene Taylor (MS)
• Mike Thompson (CA)