The group is dedicated to fiscally conservative legislation and a strong national defense. They present themselves as the “commonsense” alternative to political extremism.
When the blue dog coalition was first formed, in 1995, their main issue was calling for a balanced budget. The group has also worked on legislation to reduce the national debt and to reform the welfare system.
The founding members of the blue dog Democrats complained that they had been “choked blue” by extremist politicians on both sides of the aisle. They took their name from that expression.
The group was also inspired by the famous “blue dog” paintings of the Cajun artist George Rodrigue.
Blue dog Democrats also say they based their name on “the long-time tradition of referring to a strong Democratic Party supporter as being a “Yellow Dog Democrat,” who would have ‘sooner voted for a yellow dog than a Republican.’”
In 2009, Blue Dog Democrats held 54 seats in Congress, representing 21 percent of Democratic presence in the House. Support for the Blue Dog coalition fell dramatically in 2010, though, as politics became more polarized. Voters preferred to send more strongly partisan representatives to the House, and it became difficult for centrist politicians to hold their seats in Congress.
The spread of the Tea Party also hurt Blue Dog Democrats.
In recent years, the coalition has experienced a resurgence, hiring a communications director and planning a nation-wide strategy. Many pundits say that this resurgence is due to the election of Donald Trump, which, they say, has created much greater interest in moderate and centrist Democratic candidates. In 2017, the Blue Dog coalition systematically endorsed candidates running in districts where President Trump won in 2016. They also stepped up their fundraising activities. At the urging of some members, the group stopped accepting donations from the NRA.
As of 2020, roughly two dozen congressional Democrats claimed membership in the Blue Dog coalition. Members of the coalition say that the Blue Dogs have changed since the group was founded over two decades ago. While the Blue Dogs used to be made up of white men, the group now includes women and is racially diverse. And, while Blue Dogs originally came mainly from southern states, the current coalition includes lawmakers from the Midwest, the northeast, and the western states.
At the same time, the Blue Dog coalition faces competition from the New Democrat Coalition, another group of centrist Democrats.
Examples of “Blue Dog Democrats” in a sentence
NPR (July 2009): “Lots of questions have been coming in asking about the origin of 'Blue Dog Democrats' — a group of House Dems who are playing a significant role in the negotiations over President Obama's attempt to overhaul the health care system.”
The Washington Times (May 2, 2012): “Representative Mike Ross of Arkansas, the House's leader of Blue Dog Democrats, observed.”
The Washington Post (August 8, 2023): “Dwindling Blue Dog Democrats look to stage a comeback for moderates.”