McCaskill The Moderate

UP THE MIDDLE

Sen. Claire McCaskill said she recently joined a centrist Democratic coalition in order to help move the political ball forward on a variety issues facing the country.

"The path forward is almost always up the middle," McCaskill said in the final installment of our satellite interview.

When asked if she would characterize Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as a "moderate," McCaskill passed: "I'm not here to label my fellow Senators."

But she made clear the middle ground she's trying to carve out in the U.S. Senate.

"I vote with the Republicans more often than almost any other Democrat on certain issues," McCaskill noted.

McCaskill wrote about the group on her blog Friday.

The Moderate Democratic Group includes 15 members, lead by Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh.

Some believe the group's formation was fueled by worries about signs that the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party was beginning to overreach on its agenda.