Are Democrats ready to be a big-tent party again? Lawmakers from red states will find out.

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A wave election is bringing more moderates back to Washington. That can be a healthy thing for Congress, but former lawmakers attest to the tensions ...

A wave election is bringing more moderates back to Washington. That can be a healthy thing for Congress, but former lawmakers attest to the tensions that arise when working across the aisle.

The 120th Congress will feature Democratic lawmakers from some very red states and districts. In the House, some 30 Democrats will hail from districts President Donald Trump won by double digits; in the Senate, Democrats will be representing states like Kansas, Iowa, South Carolina, and potentially even Mississippi.

Many of these red-state Democrats campaigned on affordability, while downplaying or taking moderate stances on divisive cultural issues. The approach helped them win large margins among independent voters, as well as some Republicans, lifting their party to the biggest congressional majority in decades.

But as they prepare to join a caucus on Capitol Hill that has shifted sharply left in recent years, they may face a difficult balancing act. Already, intraparty skirmishes from the campaign and recent divisions around leadership elections are raising questions about how Democrats will navigate their bigger tent.

Democrats owe their new congressional majority in large part to candidates who won in red states. But if those new officials vote against progressive priorities, they might face a bumpy road – as some former red-state Democrats can attest.

Notably, the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, which had withered to just 10 Democrats, is poised to more than double in size. Still, it will be dwarfed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which will boast more than 100 members – its largest class ever. And if past clashes are any indication, those leftist members may not be happy with their more centrist colleagues if they follow through on campaign pledges to work with Republicans or fail to toe the party line on key votes.

Incoming red-state Democrats “have got to be willing to buck party leadership” when it’s in the best interests of their state, says former Montana Sen.

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