News & Updates from the Blue Dogs

Today, the Blue Dog PAC announced its endorsement of six Democratic candidates running in the competitive districts that will determine next year’s House majority: Brian Poindexter in Ohio's 7th Congressional District, Zach Dembo in Kentucky's 6th, JoAnna Mendoza in Arizona's 6th, Leela Gray in Florida's 13th, Sam Forstag in Montana's 1st, and Blake Gendebien in New York's 21st. All six are competing in the places Democrats have to win – not just where Democrats already have the advantage.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Blue Dog PAC today announced its endorsement of Bale Dalton in Florida’s 7th Congressional District, pointing to his decades of service in uniform and commitment to leadership and the kind of country-first approach it takes to win in November. Dalton’s 24 Years of Military Service, National Security Leadership, and Record of Putting Country Over Politics Make Him the Right Choice for Central Florida.

Firefighter and Union Leader Advances as the Democratic Nominee to Flip One of the Nation’s Most Competitive SeatsWASHINGTON, D.C. — Blue Dog PAC today congratulated Bob Brooks on his victory in the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, where the 20-year Bethlehem firefighter and union leader is now the party’s nominee to flip one of the most competitive seats in the country.

Today Blue Dog PAC Chair Adam Gray (CA-13) released the following statement after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added four Blue Dog PAC-endorsed candidates to its competitive Red to Blue program: Dr. Jasmeet Bains in CA-22, Bob Brooks in PA-07, Bobby Pulido in TX-15, and Johnny Garcia in TX-35.

D.C. Blue Dog PAC today announced its endorsement of Thien Ho in California’s 6th Congressional District, pointing to his record of keeping communities safe, enforcing the rule of law, and building the kind of broad coalition it takes to win in November.

Blue Dog PAC today announced its endorsement of Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, pointing to his record of service in public safety and his lifelong commitment to putting the Lehigh Valley’s working families first.

Blue Dog PAC today announced its endorsement of Shannon Bird in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, pointing to her record of winning tough races, building coalitions, and delivering results. Bird was first elected to the Westminster City Council before winning a state House seat in 2018, which she has held through three re-elections. She has passed more than 300 bills into law over the past seven years and was recently named the most effective lawmaker in Colorado. Her ability to earn support from Republicans and independents reflects the kind of leadership that wins in competitive districts like Colorado’s 8th.

Blue Dog Co-Chair Marie Gluesenkamp Perez congratulated Jamie Ager tonight on his resounding primary win, propelling him forward to the general election in North Carolina’s 11th District where he will campaign focused on delivering real results for North Carolina families.

Blue Dog Co-Chair Marie Gluesenkamp Perez congratulated Bobby Pulido tonight on his decisive primary victory in the primary for Texas’ 15th Congressional District.

Blue Dog Co-Chair Marie Gluesenkamp Perez congratulated Jamie Ager tonight on his resounding primary win, propelling him forward to the general election in North Carolina’s 11th District where he will campaign focused on delivering real results for North Carolina families.

From The Washington Post, By Marianna Sotomayor | Races in the Lone Star State are among those that will be key to determining which party controls the U.S. House.

Today, the Blue Dog PAC announced its endorsement of two stand-out South Texas candidates running for Congress – Bobby Pulido (TX 15) of the Rio Grande Valley and Johnny Garcia (TX-35) in San Antonio. Bobby is a two-time Latin Grammy winner, small business owner, and father who believes in practical solutions, honest leadership, and putting people ahead of party. Johnny Garcia, a law enforcement officer and former SWAT Crisis negotiator, has dedicated his life to serving his community and will bring that same level of commitment and essential de-escalation and mediation skills to Congress.

From New York Times Opinion, By James Pogue | This essay is the fifth installment in a series on the thinkers, upstarts and ideologues battling for control of the Democratic Party. In July, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington proposed an amendment to a bill, calling for an inquiry into what she described as a “plague in this country of headlight brightness.”

Today, the Blue Dog PAC announced its endorsement of Jamie Ager for Congress in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. Ager is a fourth-generation farmer, business owner, and proud son of Western North Carolina who is running to bring thoughtful, locally rooted leadership to Washington.

Today, the Blue Dog PAC endorsed family physician and California State Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains for California’s 22nd Congressional District. Bains is the second endorsement in the Blue Dogs’ slate of commonsense, pragmatic candidates running for Congress in 2026. Dr. Jasmeet Bains is tough, and she’s focused on results — not politics. She’s exactly the kind of candidate who can cut through the noise and deliver for working families.

From Slow Boring, by Matthew Yglesias | I almost can’t believe that I’ve been writing Slow Boring for five years. It is, in fact, so hard to believe that I didn’t pull together any big reflective musings this year on what I’ve learned or where we are as a publication. But I think it’s fitting that the anniversary coincides with the release of our latest slate of recommendations for political donations. I wrote last week about principal-agent problems in the donor-adviser business, and one advantage I have as a writer is that anyone reading these recommendations has access to tons of information about what I think and what my values are.

WASHINGTON D.C. — The Blue Dog Coalition issued the following statement endorsing the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act of 2025, legislation that would reverse the drastic health care cuts from Republicans' partisan budget bill and permanently extend the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits.

Today, the Blue Dog PAC proudly endorsed its first candidate of the 2026 cycle, throwing their support behind Rebecca Cooke who’s running in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District against extremist incumbent Derrick Van Orden. A sixth-generation Wisconsinite, Rebecca was raised on her family’s Eau Claire dairy farm, milking cows and showing cattle from a young age. Rebecca’s lived what small business owners, dairy farmers, and rural Americans have gone through in the last few decades, as the chaos and failed policies decided in D.C. have left too many working people without a voice in Congress. She’s a working-class American who proudly waits tables at night to pay the bills, while running for Congress during the day.

The Blue Dog Coalition issued the following statement endorsing theCutting Red Tape on Child Care Providers Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill that would prohibit states from creating barriers on the preparation of fruits and vegetables in child care facilities. The bill was introduced by Blue Dog members Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) and Rep.

This morning, the Blue Dog Coalition joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in voting against H.R. 1, the GOP’s flawed budget reconciliation bill.The Republican majority declined to work in a bipartisan manner to bring us closer to a balanced budget and protect the services millions of Americans rely on. Rather, they used deficit spending and huge cuts to health care to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, accelerating us down a dangerous fiscal path at the expense of working Americans.