The left wing of congressional Democrats now has a political action committee to provide campaign funds to its members and like-minded candidates who will face competitive races in the 2010 elections.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC was established with the Federal Election Commission as “a vehicle for supporting the members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and candidates who believe that, if elected, they’ll become members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus,” said Darcy Burner, who sits on the new PAC’s board and works with the 83-member organization in her capacity as executive director of the American Progressive Caucus Policy Foundation.

In her competitive but losing campaigns in 2006 and 2008 to unseat Republican Rep. Dave Reichert of Washington state, Burner said she noticed there were fundraising vehicles available to Democratic candidates who promised to join the more conservative Blue Dog Coalition or New Democrat Coalition. (The Blue Dog PAC raised $2.6 million in the 2008 election cycle).