WASHINGTON - First it was "soccer moms" -- flooding the roadways of suburbia Saturday mornings in their minivans and SUVs with their kids in tow -- who were targeted as the swing voters who could decide an election.

Then it was "security moms," "NASCAR dads," "office park dads" and "wired workers."

This year, it's "Starbucks Republicans" -- mostly young suburbanites who are fiscally conservative and socially moderate and won't hesitate to pay $4 for a triple grande iced caramel macchiato. And, with a midterm election looming that could change the balance of power in Congress, polls show they have become increasingly disenchanted with President Bush and Republicans.

Sensing the importance of the suburbs, roughly 50 House Republicans have formed a new caucus and last week announced an agenda specifically aimed at a bloc of voters that could be crucial to their re-election. A series of seven bills spotlight increased suburban fears of gang violence and sexual predators, concerns about the rising cost of college tuition and unease over accelerating sprawl and the disappearance of open space.

"I think the suburban effort focuses on recognizing that these problems, in the past associated with urban areas, are now associated with suburban areas," said Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash. "We need to address all these issues."

Reichert laughed when asked about "Starbucks Republicans" and said he had never heard the phrase. He sidesteps any suggestion that the GOP's suburban agenda was politically motivated in an election year.

But with the election less than six months away, Democrats already have singled out Reichert and other members of the Republican suburban caucus as they try to overcome the GOP's 15-seat majority in the House.

"I am the archetypical suburban voter they are trying to target," said Darcy Burner, Reichert's likely Democratic opponent. "The people I talk to are incredibly disappointed with how Republicans have run the country, and Reichert is part of that."

Burner said "Starbucks Republicans" may be mislabeled.

"They call themselves Demo-crats now," she said.

More than half of the nation's voters live in the suburbs. According to one GOP analysis, 138 suburban districts are represented in Congress by Republicans and 86 by Democrats. But a recent poll commissioned by Republicans found a majority of suburban voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. The poll also found that even as suburban voters are concerned about broader issues such as the war in Iraq and national security, they are also worried about kitchen-table issues including gangs, education and sprawl.

"Suburban families feel they are under attack and believe they need a voice in Congress," said Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who leads the suburban caucus.

A Florida-based Democratic pollster, Dave Beattie, coined the phrase "Starbucks Republicans" in 2004, calling them independent-leaning voters in high-growth areas in the South and West who ultimately backed Bush two years ago but are now disappointed in the president and the Republican Congress.

Beattie said that although the group's support for Bush had been waning, Congress' attempt to get involved in the Terri Schiavo right-to-die case and the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina were the "tipping points" in the growing skepticism about the political status quo.

But Beattie also had a warning.

"They may be disappointed in Republicans, but they are not convinced yet that Democrats will do better," he said. "They view what is happening in Washington, D.C., as a childish food fight."