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Northeast Philly Dem Brendan Boyle forms "blue collar caucus" in Congress

WASHINGTON -- As Democrats search for a way to re-connect with the many working class voters who abandoned them on Election Day, U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.) has co-founded a "blue collar caucus" aiming to address economic anxiety.

Boyle, a Philadelphian who just won his second term, formed the group alongside U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D., Texas) and began circulating a letter Thursday seeking members. South Jersey U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, a Democrat with deep ties to organized labor, quickly joined, Boyle's office said.

The new group -- one of many caucuses dedicated to specific issues or ideologies -- aims to help Democrats focus on plans to address stagnant wages, jobs, trade and opportunities for people in manufacturing and building trades. ​

Boyle who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia as the son of a SEPTA janitor and a crossing guard and attended Notre Dame and Harvard, is among many Democrats who have lamented that their party lost touch with blue-collar voters and failed to devote enough of its message to jobs and economic insecurity.

"The America I grew up in – and the one I still see today – is a forward-looking nation built by blue collar workers of all colors, crafts, and creeds. These workers literally built our nation. Now it is our duty in Washington to rebuild their trust in government by working for them," Boyle said in a statement announcing the new caucus.