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The Blue Dog Coalition, a fiscally conservative group of Democrats that has grown in prominence as Congress wrestles with everything from the costs of health-care reform to deficit spending, has added Betsy Markey to its 52-member caucus. The congresswoman, who represents Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District, seems to be a perfect fit.
As Politico writes, come the 2010 election, “inclusion in the caucus could prove useful to Democrats from conservative districts.” And Markey, a freshman, represents a rambling district that Republicans held tightly from 1973 to 2009.
As the Fort Collins Coloradoan notes, Markey broke with the Democratic leaders twice yesterday, voting against bills to raise the federal debt ceiling and a plan to spend $174 billion to stimulate job creation.
“For decades, we’ve spent more than what we’ve taken in. Any family or business in Colorado will tell you that’s no way to budget your money,” Markey says. “It’s time this Congress got serious about cutting spending, and increasing the debt limit is not the way we’re going to get there.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee has a different perspective on Markey’s fiscal record, criticizing her votes on the $787 billion economic stimulus package and a $410 omnibus spending bill, writes Congressional Quarterly, which points to fierce Republican competition for Markey’s seat, including presumed frontrunner state legislator Cory Gardner.