The Republican Revolution, also known as the Revolution of '94 or Gingrich Revolution are political slogans that refer to the Republican Party's (GOP) success in the 1994 U.S. midterm elections,Republican Revolution Fades USA Today, January 19, 2003 which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House of Representatives, and a pick-up of eight seats in the Senate. Led by House minority whip Newt Gingrich, this was the first time the GOP had taken control of the House since 1952.
History Rather than campaigning independently in each district, Republican candidates chose to rally behind a single national program and message fronted by Georgia congressman and House Republican whip Newt Gingrich. They alleged that President Bill Clinton was not the "New Democrat" he claimed to be during his 1992 campaign, but was a "tax and spend" liberal. The Republicans offered an alternative to Clinton's policies in the form of the Contract with America.
The gains in seats in the mid-term election resulted in the Republicans gaining control of both the House and the Senate in January 1995. Republicans had not held the majority in the House for 40 years, since the 83rd Congress (elected in 1952). From 1933 to 1995, Republicans had controlled both House and Senate for only four years. From 1933 into the early 1970s, most white conservatives in the South belonged to the Democratic Party, and created the Solid South bloc in Congress. Most African Americans in the South were disenfranchised in those years, based on anti-Black laws and subjective administration of voter registration practices.
By the mid-1990s, white conservatives from the South joined Republicans in other parts of the country, leading to the change in Congress. Large Republican gains were made in state houses as well when the GOP picked up twelve gubernatorial seats and 472 legislative seats. In so doing, it took control of 20 state legislatures from the Democrats. Prior to this, Republicans had not held the majority of governorships since 1970. In addition, this was the first time in 50 years that the GOP controlled a majority of state legislatures.
Discontent with Democratic candidates was foreshadowed by a string of elections after 1992, including Republicans winning the mayoralties of New York and Los Angeles in 1993. In that same year, Christine Todd Whitman won the New Jersey governorship. Bret Schundler became the first Republican mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, which had been held by the Democratic Party since 1917.
Republican George Allen won the 1993 Virginia gubernatorial election, and Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison won a U.S. Senate seat from the Democrats in the 1993 special election. Republicans also picked up three congressional seats from Democrats in Oklahoma and Kentucky in May 1994.
On November 9, 1994, the day after the election, Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, a conservative Democrat, changed parties, becoming a Republican; on March 3, 1995, Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell switched to the Republican side as well, increasing the GOP Senate majority.
Effect When the 104th United States Congress convened in January 1995, House Republicans voted former Minority Whip Newt Gingrich—the chief author of the Contract with America—to become Speaker of the House. The new senatorial Republican majority chose Bob Dole, previously Minority Leader, as Majority Leader. Republicans pursued an ambitious agenda, but were often forced to compromise with Democratic president Bill Clinton, who wielded veto power.
The 1994 election also marked the end of the conservative coalition, a bi-partisan coalition of conservative Republicans and Democrats (often referred to as "boll weevil Democrats", for their association with the South). This white conservative coalition had often managed to control Congressional outcomes since the end of the New Deal era.
Pick-ups Numerous Republican freshmen entered Congress. Of the 230 Republican House members of the 104th Congress, almost a third were new to the House. In the Senate, 11 of 54 (20%) Republicans were freshmen.
Senate Name State Predecessor Predecessor's fate Richard Shelby Alabama Himself as a Democrat Switched partiesShelby had been elected in 1986 and 1992 as a Democrat, but switched parties in 1994. Jon Kyl Arizona Dennis DeConcini Retired Ben Nighthorse Campbell Colorado Himself as a Democrat Switched partiesCampbell was elected in 1992 as a Democrat, but switched parties on March 3, 1995. Olympia Snowe Maine George Mitchell Retired Spencer Abraham Michigan Donald Riegle Retired Mike DeWine Ohio Howard Metzenbaum Retired Jim Inhofe Oklahoma David Boren RetiredBoren's impending resignation to assume the presidency of the University of Oklahoma triggered a special election where Inhofe won. Boren resigned a week after the special election, with Inhofe being sworn in 2 days later for the remainder of Boren's term ending in 1997. Rick Santorum Pennsylvania Harris Wofford Defeated Fred Thompson Tennessee Harlan Mathews RetiredMathews was appointed to the seat as a caretaker following the resignation of Vice President Al Gore; Thompson was elected to serve the remaining two years of the term. Bill Frist Tennessee Jim Sasser Defeated Kay Bailey Hutchison Texas Bob Krueger DefeatedHutchison won the Senate seat from the Democrats in the 1993 special election to succeed Bob Krueger, who had been appointed to this seat following the resignation of Lloyd Bentsen, who had become the Secretary of the Treasury, seen as a precursor to the Republican Revolution.
House of Representatives Name District Predecessor Predecessor's fate Matt Salmon Arizona-1 Sam Coppersmith Retired; ran for U.S Senate J. D. Hayworth Arizona-6 Karan English Defeated Frank Riggs California-1 Dan Hamburg Defeated George Radanovich California-19 Richard Lehman Defeated Brian Bilbray California-49 Lynn Schenk Defeated Joe Scarborough Florida-1 Earl Hutto Retired Dave Weldon Florida-15 Jim Bacchus Retired Bob Barr Georgia-7 Buddy Darden Defeated Saxby Chambliss Georgia-8 J. Roy Rowland Retired Charlie Norwood Georgia-10 Don Johnson Jr. Defeated Helen Chenoweth Idaho-1 Larry LaRocco Defeated Michael Flanagan Illinois-5 Dan Rostenkowski Defeated Jerry Weller Illinois-11 George Sangmeister Retired David McIntosh Indiana-2 Phil Sharp Retired Mark Souder Indiana-4 Jill Long Thompson Defeated John Hostettler Indiana-8 Frank McCloskey Defeated Greg Ganske Iowa-4 Neal Smith Defeated Sam Brownback Kansas-2 Jim Slattery Retired; ran for Governor Todd Tiahrt Kansas-4 Dan Glickman Defeated Ed Whitfield Kentucky-1 Tom Barlow Defeated Jim Longley Maine-1 Tom Andrews Retired; ran for U.S Senate Bob Ehrlich Maryland-2 Helen Bentley Retired; ran for Governor Dick Chrysler Michigan-8 Bob Carr Retired; ran for U.S Senate Gil Gutknecht Minnesota-1 Tim Penny Retired Roger Wicker Mississippi-1 Jamie Whitten Retired Jon Christensen Nebraska-2 Peter Hoagland Defeated John Ensign Nevada-1 James Bilbray Defeated Charlie Bass New Hampshire-2 Dick Swett Defeated Frank LoBiondo New Jersey-2 Bill Hughes Retired Bill Martini New Jersey-8 Herb Klein Defeated Michael Forbes New York-1 George Hochbrueckner Defeated David Funderburk North Carolina-2 Tim Valentine Retired Walter Jones North Carolina-3 Martin Lancaster Defeated Fred Heineman North Carolina-4 David Price Defeated Richard Burr North Carolina-5 Steve Neal Retired Steve Chabot Ohio-1 David Mann Defeated Frank Cremeans Ohio-6 Ted Strickland Defeated Bob Ney Ohio-18 Doug Applegate Retired Steve LaTourette Ohio-19 Eric Fingerhut Defeated Tom Coburn Oklahoma-2 Mike Synar Defeated (in primary) J. C. Watts Oklahoma-4 Dave McCurdy Retired; ran for U.S Senate Jim Bunn Oregon-5 Mike Kopetski Retired Jon Fox Pennsylvania-13 Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky Defeated Lindsey Graham South Carolina-3 Butler Derrick Retired Zach Wamp Tennessee-3 Marilyn Lloyd Retired Van Hilleary Tennessee-4 Jim Cooper Retired; ran for U.S Senate Steve Stockman Texas-9 Jack Brooks Defeated Mac Thornberry Texas-13 Bill Sarpalius Defeated Enid Greene Waldholtz Utah-2 Karen Shepherd Defeated Tom Davis Virginia-11 Leslie Byrne Defeated Rick White Washington-1 Maria Cantwell DefeatedCantwell eventually elected as Senator in 2000. Jack Metcalf Washington-2 Al Swift Retired Linda Smith Washington-3 Jolene Unsoeld Defeated Doc Hastings Washington-4 Jay Inslee DefeatedInslee eventually returned to the Congress in 1999 following his victory in the 1998 House of Representatives elections. George Nethercutt Washington-5 Tom Foley Defeated Randy Tate Washington-9 Mike Kreidler Defeated Mark Neumann Wisconsin-1 Peter Barca Defeated
Governorships Name State Predecessor Predecessor's fate Fob James Alabama Jim Folsom Jr. Defeated John G. Rowland Connecticut Lowell P. Weicker Jr.Weicker was a member of A Connecticut Party. Retired Phil Batt Idaho Cecil D. Andrus Retired Bill Graves Kansas Joan Finney Retired Gary Johnson New Mexico Bruce King Defeated George Pataki New York Mario Cuomo Defeated Frank Keating Oklahoma David Walters Retired Tom Ridge Pennsylvania Bob Casey Sr. Term-limited Lincoln Almond Rhode Island Bruce Sundlun Defeated (in primary) Don Sundquist Tennessee Ned McWherter Term-limited George W. Bush Texas Ann Richards Defeated Jim Geringer Wyoming Mike Sullivan Term-limited
See also 1998 United States elections 2000 United States elections 2002 United States elections 2004 United States elections 2010 United States elections 2014 United States elections 2016 United States elections 2018 United States elections 2024 United States elections Federal Assault Weapons Ban
References
External links Booknotes interview with Dan Balz on Storming the Gates: Protest Politics and the Republican Revival, February 18, 1996