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Blue Dog Democrats, frustrated that their fight to end deficit spending has been stymied by the Senate, may endorse candidates running for the upper chamber.
Leaders of the group told The Hill on Wednesday that they are considering plans to formally back and contribute to Senate candidates running in November.
“I expect you could see the Blue Dog PAC get involved in some Senate races this year,” said Blue Dog Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.).
“We’re never going to restore fiscal discipline to our government until we get more Blue Dogs elected to Republican Senate seats.”
Ross is the coalition's communications chair, but said he was speaking for himself, because no official decision has been reached.
The Blue Dog political action committee (PAC) is flush with cash, and has more money than it can spend on its own members and endorsed House candidates, sometimes called “Blue pups.”
While plans are preliminary, one potential recipient of support is the Senate campaign of former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, a popular Democrat who balanced the books in his state with a tax increase and won fans in rural parts of his Southern state with support for gun rights.
It would not be the first time that a House party faction crossed the Capitol to change the makeup of the Senate. In 2004, members of the conservative Republican Study Committee, including Reps. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), organized to help right-leaning candidates win Republican primaries.
Blue Dog members say they are not interested in challenging Democratic incumbents or getting involved in primaries. They only want to replace Republicans.
Blue Dog leaders stress that no final decision has been made, and any Senate effort would require a change in the group’s bylaws. Some longtime members said they were not aware of the proposal, though they supported the idea. Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), chairman of the Blue Dog PAC, said he expects a decision by August.
“We’re interested in getting some like-minded people in the Senate,” Tanner said.
Blue Dogs are frustrated that they have rallied support for tax hikes that would prevent popular spending plans from adding to the deficit, only to see the Senate cut them out.
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