The south shore of Lake Ontario is a unique place — mostly small towns with rural places in between. But in some ways, it’s a lot like many other rural places in the country.
In the 2024 election cycle, voters in upstate New York strongly supported Trump. He stood for what they cared about: America First, lower taxes, reducing immigration, progress on jobs, and conservative values. But now it’s only mid-2025, and Trump’s actual achievements are far from the outcomes he promised in the election.
The result is a voter population divided into roughly three groups:
Democratic opposition
Trump supporters
Republicans wishing for an alternative to Trump
The Political Middle
The third group is literally everywhere in upstate New York. It’s likely everywhere in other rural places across America too.
For these voters, their attitude is frustration. Their question is:
Can’t we find anyone to stand up for traditional, conservative values without the drama, controversy, and divisiveness of Trump and his version of the Republican party?
The answer to that is ‘yes’, but it’s in a pretty unknown corner of the political landscape.
Within the Democratic party are coalitions. Among the coalitions is a right-leaning one called the Blue Dog Democrats.
The Blue Dog Dems are a brand of Democrat that, at a broad level, stands for fiscal conservatism and constituency-first representation. This second point means that members take a more local, bottoms-up approach to legislation. They avoid (and oppose) a national, top-down approach to the issues they work on and the positions they take on them.
The approach often puts them in conflict with the mainstream factions of the Democratic party, especially on issues like identity politics and special interests that don’t serve their rural constituency. But they’re not afraid to dissent from the Democrats and join Republicans for bipartisan outcomes on issues, when it makes sense. They support pragmatic legislation. This quality makes them a viable candidate for cross-over Republican voters seeking a Trump alternative.
Blue Dogs’ secret power
The Blue Dogs’ secret power is their local approach to issues. Blue Dog members adapt and fit their position to the interests of their constituents in a way mainstream Democrats and Republicans cannot. Their defense when they dissent with their own party is that they serve their district voters, not the Democratic Party or outsiders.
So, from one side, Blue Dogs avoid the one-size-fits-all rhetoric of progressive, urban Democrats. From the other side, they avoid the over-zealous top-down rhetoric of Trump. They are unafraid to dissent with either side.
This makes Blue Dog candidates a compelling choice for voters who care less about Democrat or Republican, and more about the issues relevant to them.
A rare breed
Unfortunately, in the present Congress, a Blue Dog is a rare breed. Of the 435 seats in Congress:
Republicans: 220 seats
Democrats: 213 seats
Open: 2 seats
Blue Dog Democrats: only 10 from among the 213 Democrats seats
If this doesn’t scream of polarization, then I don’t know what does!
Read other Viewpoint articles on this site for more info about this exciting coalition.
The Blue Dogs offer a moderate position (one that’s tailor-fit to your district). They are growing a network that will return the business environment to one that’s stable and predictable. The Blue Dog’s are also a key — and growing — swing block. They are a coalition worthy of support and a wise hedge against the extremist positions of progressive Democrats and reflexive Trump-supporting Republicans.
Please reach out for more information!
Blue Dogs seek questions, connections, and conversations with voters and business leaders in the rural regions of the Midwest, Inland Northeast, South, Rocky Mountain region, and Inland West.
