"If a member of the Democratic Caucus — someone closer to my beliefs — were to run, I'd have to consider that," he said.
Blue Dog opposition to key parts of Mr. Obama's health care overhaul plan led to some last-minute compromises with the more liberal wings of the party's coalition in both chambers of Congress.
Many of the Blue Dogs were part of a moderate class of Democrats personally recruited by Rahm Emanuel, a congressman from Illinois and top adviser to Mrs. Pelosi before he was named Mr. Obama's chief of staff in 2009. The Blue Dogs, formed in 1995, have increased their membership in the past two election cycles from 36 to 54.
But campaign dollars and aid by the national Democratic Party to help endangered Blue Dogs have sparked grumbling from some liberals, who fear large GOP gains at all levels in elections this year.
"If the Democratic Party wants their donors to stay engaged for the final month, they should be helping those who are not part of the problem," San Francisco liberal activist Paul Hogarth wrote in the alternative online news service BeyondChron. "Coddling the Blue Dogs reeks of pandering and emboldens an abusive relationship where - at worst - they win with a right-wing mandate."
The debate over Mrs. Pelosi's leadership would become moot if the Democrats lose their majority, but some of the Blue Dogs argue that they stand to gain influence no matter which party rules the House.
"It's numbers, a simple matter of numbers," said Utah's Mr. Matheson. If the midterms create gridlock in Washington, he said, the Blue Dogs will again be in a position to break the logjam.
If Republicans capture the House, as many pollsters say they have a good chance of doing, they almost certainly will have a much smaller majority than the 78-seat majority Mrs. Pelosi had when the 111th Congress was sworn in two years ago. On close votes, centrist Democrats once again could hold the balance of power, even if the Blue Dogs' numbers fall sharply in 2011.
"Activists continue to push both parties to the extremes. But if you are going to get anything done, you are going to have to reach across the aisle," Mr. Matheson said. "The Blue Dogs are here to make progress."
The RealClearPolitics website classifies Mr. Matheson's bid for a sixth term as a notch below "safe," noting that the 2nd Congressional District, before Mr. Matheson, had a Republican history.
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