Blue Dog Democrats Call For Moderation

Congressional Blue Dog Democrats Friday called on the Democratic Caucus to support “moderate voices” in the slew of leadership decisions the party will be making this month.

The group did not name any of the races or contenders, but Blue Dog sources say it can be seen as preliminary support for Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) in a brewing bid for vice chairman of the caucus and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) in his fight to stave off a committee chairmanship challenge from Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.).

“As the moderate faction of our caucus has grown and contributed to our large majority, our leadership must have more moderate voices at the table if we want to continue to be successful, strong, and effective as a caucus,” said Blue Dog leader Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.).

The race for vice chairman, opened up by Rep. John Larson’s (D-Conn.) bid for caucus chairman, is in its early stages. Crowley has not formally announced, but is widely understood to be a candidate. Published reports indicate that Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), a former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, has thrown his hat in the ring.

But a Democratic aide said support from centrists and New York lawmakers make him a formidable candidate.

“He could end up being the moderates choice for someone in the room, plus he would have a big delegation behind him that just delivered more seats,” the aide said.

Dingell Friday released a “whip team” of his most prominent supporters in his fight against Waxman for chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

All three top Blue Dog leaders were on the list — Boyd, Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.).

The fight for caucus chairman is between Larson and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chris Van Hollen (Md.), neither of whom are considered centrists.

The leadership contests are expected to be settled in the organizational meeting on Nov. 17 and 18.

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