BRIEFLY

Tauscher elected Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) was elected yesterday as the new chairwoman of the New Democrat Coalition, in a move that centrist Democrats hope will invigorate the sometimes-overlooked caucus.

Tauscher elected

Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) was elected yesterday as the new chairwoman of the New Democrat Coalition, in a move that centrist Democrats hope will invigorate the sometimes-overlooked caucus.

Tauscher’s accession marks a renewed effort by the coalition to play a more prominent role in the coming Congress. To that end, the group also restructured its leadership, replacing three co-chairs with a single one.

With a strong commitment from a core group of 30 lawmakers, the coalition’s active membership is being pared down from its previous number of 74 members, some of whom were not very involved in the group.

The group also settled on two new co-chairmen: Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) will share policy and communications duties. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) will run the group’s PAC.

“I am honored that my colleagues have chosen me to lead this organization, and I look forward to bringing energy to this leadership post,” Tauscher said.

Hans Nichols

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