| New Democrat Coalition | |
| Colorcode: |
|
| Abbreviation: | NDC |
| Leader1 Title: | Chair |
| Leader1 Name: | Brad Schneider (IL–10) |
| Ideology: | Internationalism Liberalism |
| National: | Democratic Party |
| Seats1 Title: | Seats in the House Democratic Caucus |
| Seats2 Title: | Seats in the House |
| Country: | the United States |
The New Democrat Coalition is a caucus in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress made up of Democrats, primarily liberals and centrists, who take a pro-business stance and a liberal-to-moderate approach to fiscal matters. Most members hold socially liberal views.[1]
The caucus has been described as being centrist to center-left.[1]
When the 119th Congress convened on January 3, 2025, the New Democrat Coalition touted 110 members (including one nonvoting member), accounting for more than half of all Democratic representatives and making it the largest House Democratic ideological caucus, followed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.[2] [3]
The New Democrat Coalition is a caucus within the House of Representatives founded in 1997[4] by Representatives Cal Dooley, Jim Moran, and Tim Roemer.[5]
The Coalition supported "Third Way" policies during the presidency of Bill Clinton. The Coalition consists of liberal, moderate, and centrist Democrats.[6] [7] After the sharp decline of the Blue Dog Coalition in the 2010s, the New Democrat Coalition gained some of the Blue Dog Coalition's former clout by also having members from swing seats.[8] [9] [10]
The group is known as fiscally moderate[11] [12] and pro-business. For example, the New Democrat Coalition supports free trade and the high-tech sector.[13] [14] The New Democrat Coalition also supports immigration reform.
Ideologically, it is positioned between the House Progressive Caucus and the Blue Dog Coalition.[15] The Coalition has been described as both socially liberal and fiscally moderate-to-conservative.[16] [17]
The NDC advocates "working to bridge the partisan divide with a solutions-oriented approach to politics", combating climate change, transitioning to sustainable energy, increased access towards healthcare, and strengthening U.S. national security.[18]
According to their Economic Opportunity Agenda,[19] they value the diversification and strengthening of global supply chains, the enaction of legislation to address current constraints to global trade, the reduction of costs for U.S. consumers, and to buttress the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. They believe in a transparent exclusion process from Section 301 tariffs, and pursuing free trade agreements with the United Kingdom, Kenya, and Taiwan. The NDC lays out their plan to the reduction of energy prices and the transition to sustainable energy by instituting the investments made in the Inflation Reduction Act[20] and easing market barriers towards cleaner energy.
On April 3, 2019, Representative Ami Bera introduced HR 2061,[21] proposing state market mechanisms to increase enrollment, particularly focusing on auto-enrollment for those qualifying for $0 premium health plans.
The New Democrat Coalition supports the right to travel for abortion, the protection of doctors who conduct abortions, and the enshrining of protections for reproductive care for servicewomen and military families.[22] They also support the codification of abortion rights as protected by Roe v. Wade.[23]
According to their National Security Principles[24] they value the modernization and sustainment of the U.S. Military, reinforcement of American internationalism, strengthening of regional commitments, reinforcing U.S. cybersecurity, and addressing the deficit.
When it comes to cybersecurity, the New Democrat Coalition's cybersecurity task force[24] confronts digital security with fostering public-private information sharing, developing stronger defenses against cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism, establishment of a strong pipeline of workers to address said cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism, investment into stronger defenses in the public and private sectors, and securing the Internet of Things.
According to the NDC's Principles for U.S. Climate Policy,[25] they propose American global coordination towards climate solutions, transition to a clean energy economy, enacting climate-forward policies towards disaster relief and the transition of local communities to a sustainable energy grid, and recommitting to the Paris Agreement.
See main article: United States support for Israel in the Gaza war.
On October 12, 2023, five days after the October 7 attacks, the NDC endorsed a bipartisan resolution on standing with Israel and unequivocally condemning Hamas.[26] Later, on October 20, they endorsed Biden's request for supplemental funding for both Israel and Ukraine.
On April 20, 2024, the NDC affirmed their commitment to Ukraine by endorsing the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024.[27] They would later applaud the success of the bill on April 23.[28]
| Election year | Democratic seats | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | |||
| 2002 | 1 | ||
| 2004 | 1 | ||
| 2006 | 11 | ||
| 2008 | 4 | ||
| 2010 | 17 | ||
| 2012 | 11 | ||
| 2014 | 7 | ||
| 2016 | 15 | ||
| 2018 | 42 | ||
| 2020 | 9 | ||
| 2022 | |||
| 2024 | 15 |
Current caucus rules only allow for a single chair who serves a single, 2-year term. However, when the caucus began it permitted multiple chairs and 4-year terms.[29]
| Start | End | Chair(s) | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 2001 | CA-20 | ||
| VA-08 | ||||
| IN-03 | ||||
| 2001 | 2005 | FL-11 | ||
| WI-03 | ||||
| WA-09 | ||||
| 2005 | 2009 | CA-10 | ||
| 2009 | 2013 | NY-07 | ||
| 2013 | 2017 | WI-03 | ||
| 2017 | 2019 | CT-04 | ||
| 2019 | 2021 | WA-06 | ||
| 2021 | 2023 | WA-01 | ||
| 2023 | 2025 | NH-02 | ||
| 2025 | present | IL-10 |
As of the 118th United States Congress, the Coalition's leaders[30] are as follows:
As of August 11, 2025, the New Democrat Coalition had 116 members. Those members include 115 U.S. Representatives and one non-voting delegate of the House of Representatives.[31] Of these, 85 were reelected in the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections, while 25 non-incumbents endorsed by the caucus PAC were elected to congress. Kevin Mullin, Brad Sherman, Jahana Hayes, Dan Goldman, Mike Levin, and James Walkinshaw joined the caucus at a later point.
The NewDem Action Fund, formerly known as the NewDemPAC,[32] is the campaign arm of the caucus.[33]
