1992 Election

• Clinton wins 370-168• 43% to 37 to 19

Bill Clinton

“Man from HOPE”• Georgetown, Rhodes scholar, Yale Law School– ROTC

• POLITICAL CAREER- back to Arkansas– Ran for Congress 1974– Won Attorney General 1976– Governor 1978– Lost in 1980, won in 1982

Clinton• Runs for President 1992– No BIG names among Democrats– ROTC, women

• Wins Nomination but way behind• Ross Perot• Convention• Republican Convention- too conservative– Quayle beats Gore– Town Hall Debate– Iran Contra

1992wins 32 of 50 states

1992 Congress

• 1992• House of Representatives• Democrats lose 9 seats• 258-176

• Senate• No Change 56-44 (each side won 2, lost 2)

• CA, WI goes Democrat• GA, NC goes Republican

1994

• Senate• Republicans pick up 8 seats +1 (AL)• Gain Majority 53,-47 (52-48)– Pick up AZ, MA, MI, OH, OK, PN, TN, TN– AL senator Shelby switched parties

1994 House

• Republcians pick up 54 seats• 230-204 Republican (up from 176)• First time since 1954– Universal health care, gun ban– Contract with America– Ways and Means and Judiciary Chairs lose– NO Republican incumbents lost– 34 Democrat incumbents lost– 67% of Perot voters went Republican

Contract With America

• Nationalized the race• Promised a vote on issues like Term Limits,

super-majority for tax increases, Congress live under the law

Newt Gingrich• Georgia Congressman– History Professor at West Georgia College– Defeated in 1974, 1976 wins in 1978– Affluent, well-educated district

• Partisan– Blames liberal policies for destroying lives of the

poor– Believes in a strong military– Capitalism– Technology

NEWT• Impolite• “battering ram”• Takes on the Speaker- twice– O’Neill– Jim Wright, 1987, ousted in 1989

• Elected Minority Whip 1989– Won 87-85– Robert Michel (Minority Leader)– Barely won own re-election in 1990 and 1992

Clinton wins 1996• Defeats Dole 379-159• 49.2% of vote

1996 Election• House– Republicans lose 8– Still lead 228-206

• Senate– Republicans gain 2– Lead now 55-45

1998

• Six Year Itch• 1934 President loses seats in Mid-Term• Scandal• YET- Democrats gain 5 seats– 223-211– Republicans blame Gingrich and he is out– Hastert becomes Speaker