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Midwestern Dems seek greater heft in Congress

Midwestern Democrats want to amplify their voice in Congress after feeling like second-class citizens to their coastal counterparts in the caucus.

The new Heartland Caucus, led by Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, is talking about the needs for party unity, messaging and paying attention to issues in the Midwest.

The caucus also talks about the need to have more representation within party leadership, which is led only by lawmakers from the East and West coasts.

“During my tenure here, the leadership has largely come from the coasts,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Ohio Democrat. “You can look at the leadership today versus just a couple years ago, and you can see who’s missing.