Republican Party (United States)

==== Gingrich Revolution ====
{{See also|Republican Revolution}}
[[File:NewtGingrich.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Official portrait of [[Newt Gingrich]], the 50th [[speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives]] (1995–1998)]]

In [[1994 United States elections|the 1994 elections]], the Republican Party, led by House minority whip [[Newt Gingrich]], who campaigned on the "[[Contract with America]]", [[Republican Revolution|won majorities in both chambers of Congress, gained 12 governorships, and regained control of 20 state legislatures]]. However, most voters had not heard of the Contract and the Republican victory was attributed to traditional mid-term anti-incumbent voting and Republicans becoming the majority party in [[Dixie]] for the first time since Reconstruction.<ref name="NPR-gop-pledge" /> It was the first time the Republican Party had achieved a majority in the House [[1952 United States House of Representatives elections|since 1952]].<ref name="Kennedy">{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/midterm-elections-1994-republican-revolution-gingrich-contract-with-america|title=The 1994 Midterms: When Newt Gingrich Helped Republicans Win Big|first=Lesley|last=Kennedy|work=[[History (American TV network)|History]]|date=October 9, 2018|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=April 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428164417/https://www.history.com/news/midterm-elections-1994-republican-revolution-gingrich-contract-with-america|url-status=live}}</ref> Gingrich was made speaker, and within the first 100 days of the Republican majority, every proposition featured in the Contract was passed, with the exception of term limits for members of Congress, which did not pass in the Senate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2007/11/congress-runs-into-republican-revolution-nov-8-1994-006757|title=Congress runs into 'Republican Revolution' Nov. 8, 1994|first=Andrew|last=Glass|work=[[Politico]]|date=November 8, 2007|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309004632/https://www.politico.com/story/2007/11/congress-runs-into-republican-revolution-nov-8-1994-006757|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NPR-gop-pledge">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2010/09/23/130068500/watching-washington-gop-pledge|title=GOP's 'Pledge' Echoes 'Contract'; But Much Myth Surrounds '94 Plan|first=Ron|last=Elving|newspaper=[[NPR]]|date=September 23, 2010|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601204151/https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2010/09/23/130068500/watching-washington-gop-pledge|url-status=live}}</ref> One key to Gingrich's success in 1994 was nationalizing the election,<ref name="Kennedy" /> which in turn led to his becoming a national figure during [[1996 United States House of Representatives elections|the 1996 House elections]], with many Democratic leaders proclaiming Gingrich was a zealous radical.<ref name="Baer">{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1996-11-07-1996312030-story.html|title=Revolutionary Gingrich suddenly is a centrist offering to help Clinton Election showed speaker to be 'slightly more popular than Unabomber'; ELECTION 1996|first=Susan|last=Baer|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|date=November 7, 1996|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=June 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601204128/https://www.baltimoresun.com/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hoover.org/research/1996-house-elections-reaffirming-conservative-trend|title=The 1996 House Elections: Reaffirming the Conservative Trend|first1=John F.|last1=Cogan|first2=David|last2=Brady|publisher=[[Hoover Institute]]|date=March 1, 1997|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=October 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019015554/https://www.hoover.org/research/1996-house-elections-reaffirming-conservative-trend|url-status=live}}</ref> The Republicans maintained their majority for the first time [[1928 United States House of Representatives elections|since 1928]] despite [[Bob Dole]] losing handily to Clinton in [[1996 United States presidential election|the presidential election]]. However, Gingrich's national profile proved a detriment to the Republican Congress, which enjoyed majority approval among voters in spite of Gingrich's relative unpopularity.<ref name="Baer" />

After Gingrich and the Republicans struck a deal with Clinton on the [[Balanced Budget Act of 1997]], which included tax cuts, the Republican House majority had difficulty convening on a new agenda ahead of [[1998 United States House of Representatives elections|the 1998 elections]].<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/07/us/the-speaker-steps-down-the-career-the-fall-of-gingrich-an-irony-in-an-odd-year.html|title = The Speaker Steps Down: The Career; the Fall of Gingrich, an Irony in an Odd Year|newspaper = [[The New York Times]]|date = November 7, 1998|last1 = Mitchell|first1 = Alison|access-date = October 13, 2019|archive-date = December 19, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201219165407/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/07/us/the-speaker-steps-down-the-career-the-fall-of-gingrich-an-irony-in-an-odd-year.html|url-status = live}}</ref> During the ongoing [[impeachment of Bill Clinton]] in 1998, Gingrich decided to make Clinton's misconduct the party message heading into the elections, believing it would add to their majority. The strategy proved mistaken and the Republicans lost five seats, though whether it was due to poor messaging or Clinton's popularity providing a [[coattail effect]] is debated.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/06/did-talk-of-impeaching-clinton-damage-republicans-in-1998.html|title=Did Impeachment Plans Damage Republicans in 1998?|first=Ed|last=Kilgore|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=June 6, 2019|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=March 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316043902/http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/06/did-talk-of-impeaching-clinton-damage-republicans-in-1998.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Gingrich was ousted from party power due to the performance, ultimately deciding to resign from Congress altogether. For a short time afterward, it appeared [[Louisiana]] representative [[Bob Livingston]] would become his successor; Livingston, however, stepped down from consideration and resigned from Congress after damaging reports of affairs threatened the Republican House's legislative agenda if he were to serve as speaker.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/clinton-impeachment/573940/|title=The Clinton Impeachment, As Told By The People Who Lived It|first1=David A.|last1=Graham|first2=Cullen|last2=Murphy|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|date=December 2018|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=April 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429042411/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/clinton-impeachment/573940/|url-status=live}}</ref> Illinois representative [[Dennis Hastert]] was promoted to speaker in Livingston's place, serving in that position until 2007.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3900854/dennis-hastert-livingston-scandal/|title=How a Scandal Made Dennis Hastert the Speaker of the House|first=Lily|last=Rothman|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=May 28, 2015|access-date=May 29, 2021|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025203915/https://time.com/3900854/dennis-hastert-livingston-scandal/|url-status=live}}</ref>