Blue Dogs endorse Shuler chief of staff for his seat

The fiscally conservative Blue Dog PAC endorsed Hayden Rogers, who is running to replace his boss, Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.).

Democrats view Rogers as their strongest chance to hold the Republican-heavy seat left open by Shuler's retirement. Rogers knows the district well: he was Shuler's campaign manager during his upset win in 2006 and has been his chief of staff ever since.

"Working closely with Hayden, I have seen his commitment to Blue Dog principles," said Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah), co-chairman of the Blue Dog PAC. "As a former small business owner and Congressman Shuler's chief of staff, Hayden has been an invaluable voice in the Blue Dogs' efforts to encourage private sector job creation and reduce unnecessary and burdensome regulations that slow growth. We are proud to endorse his candidacy today."

The centrist Blue Dog Coalition was decimated in the 2010 GOP wave election, and its members face further problems: Including Shuler, seven of the 26 Blue Dog Democrats left in Congress after last election are retiring or have already, and GOP gerrymanders in states like North Carolina have put further pressure on the caucus.

To counteract that, their political action committee has been much more active this cycle in both fundraising and messaging. Rogers is the seventh candidate it has endorsed, and the group plans to give support to a few more in the coming weeks.