"I am honored to have been elected by my Blue Dog colleagues to serve as whip of our fiscally conservative coalition.  During these times of federal deficit spending, it is important to return fiscal responsibility to the Congress.  As Whip of the Blue Dog Coalition, I look forward to promoting the ideals the coalition stands for—like restoring common sense and fiscal discipline to our nation’s government.” 

Other Blue Dog leaders-elect include Rep. Jim Matheson (UT), Co-Chair for Administration; Rep. Jim Cooper (TN), Co-Chair for Policy; and Rep. Dennis Cardoza (CA), Co-Chair for Communications. The Blue Dog Coalition is a group of 34 moderate and conservative Democrats focused on fiscal responsibility.