Blue Dog Democrat

In the context of the Democratic Party, a Blue Dog is someone who holds conservative positions on economic or social issues. Sometimes referred to as Blue Dog Liberals, Blue Dogs are often in opposition to the Liberal and Socialist wings of the party. They more often than not hail from traditionally conservative or upper income areas where Conservative Democrats are deemed more desirable than a Republican candidate. The reasons for this are various, but most probably is a result of long standing traditions in localities where voting records tend to be based on traditional support for the Democrats over the Republicans, or vice versa. In other words, someone who is naturally conservative but comes from a traditionally Democratic family is more likely to vote for a Blue Dog Democrat than a Republican holding similar positions.

The Blue Dog Coalition is a caucus of conservative House Democrats founded in 1994. They took their name from their view that the Democratic Party's liberal establishment had "choked blue" conservative voices in the party, from the drawings of blue hounds by Louisiana artist George Rodrigue which graced the walls of offices where they met, and as wordplay on "Yellow Dog Democrat".

A Washington Times editorial declared:

• ... the Blue Dog Coalition ... joined with Republicans in passing a temporary FISA fix that would ensure that the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies could monitor suspected terrorist communications overseas without having to obtain a warrant. [1]

See also

• Conservative Democrat
• Reagan Democrats