1998: United States: Elections Loosen Republican Hold on Congress

Confounding predictions of a Republican Party sweep, United States voters helped the Democratic Party cut into the Republican congressional majority in elections held on November 3, 1998.

Democrats gained 5 seats in the House of Representatives, reducing the Republican majority to 12 seats. It was the first time since 1934 that the party in control of the White House was able to increase its House holdings during a mid-term election. Democrats will hold 211 seats in the new 106th Congress, Republicans will hold 223 seats, and independents will hold 1 seat. The balance of power in the Senate remained unchanged, with Republicans controlling 55 seats and the Democrats 45 seats.

Billed by some observers as a referendum on the political future of United States president Bill Clinton, the elections instead claimed a Republican victim: Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Pre-election polls suggested the Lewinsky scandal—centered on Clinton's affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky—would not figure prominently in the voting, and most candidates avoided campaigning on the issue. But in a last-minute decision approved by Gingrich, the Republican party initiated a nationwide advertising campaign that alluded to the scandal. Once it became clear the Republicans had failed to increase their majority in the House and Senate, Gingrich announced he would not seek reelection as Speaker of the House and would resign his House seat. (See the November 1998 Update "Republican Party: Gingrich Steps Down After Election Setback" for details.)

The Republican decision to pursue Clinton's impeachment over the Lewinsky scandal may have played a role in their election day disappointment, but the lack of a consistent national message also hurt the party, analysts said. And many voters expressed disappointment with the accomplishments of the Republican-led 105th Congress, which failed to make headway on issues such as campaign finance reform and a national tobacco settlement.

Victorious candidates, Democrats and Republicans, focused on issues such as improving education and protecting Social Security, analysts said. Fearful that a low turnout would benefit Republicans, the Democrats also emphasized get-out-the-vote initiatives. About 37 percent of all registered voters cast ballots in the election.

In addition to all 435 House seats and 34 Senate seats, 36 governorships were at stake in the November elections. Voters also faced an array of initiatives, including measures that would legalize medicinal marijuana and assisted suicide, ban partial birth abortions, and undo affirmative action programs.

Senate

Many Republicans had hoped to gain at least five seats in the Senate. Sixty seats would have given Republicans a "filibuster-proof" majority, meaning they could cut off debate and pass legislation over Democratic objections. But while six seats switched parties, they were split evenly between the parties.
* Democrats picked up seats in New York, North Carolina, and Indiana, and held onto an open seat in Arkansas. In New York, Charles E. Schumer defeated three-term senator Alfonse M. D'Amato after a costly and bitter campaign. In North Carolina John Edwards defeated first-term senator Lauch Faircloth. The third Democratic victory came in Indiana, where onetime Indiana governor Evan Bayh defeated Paul Helmke to replace Republican Daniel R. Coats, who retired. Blanche Lincoln was elected to replace Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, who also retired. * Republicans picked up seats in Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio, and held onto an open seat in Idaho. In Illinois, Republican Peter Fitzgerald defeated Democrat Carol Moseley-Braun, the first black woman senator in U.S. history. Former baseball pitcher and Hall-of-Famer Jim Bunning, a Republican, defeated Democrat Scotty Baesler in Kentucky. Bunning will replace retiring Democrat Wendell H. Ford. And in Ohio, sitting governor George V. Voinovich defeated Mary Boyle to replace retiring Democrat John Glenn. In Idaho, Michael D. Crapo defeated Democrat Bill Mauk to replace Senator Dirk Kempthorne, who gave up his seat to run for governor. * Democrats reelected through 2005 included Barbara Boxer, California; Christopher J. Dodd, Connecticut; Bob Graham, Florida; Daniel Ken Inouye, Hawaii; John B. Breaux, Louisiana; Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland; Harry Reid, Nevada; Byron L. Dorgan, North Dakota; Ron Wyden, Oregon; Ernest F. Hollings, South Carolina; Thomas A. Daschle, South Dakota; Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont; Patty Murray, Washington; and Russell D. Feingold, Wisconsin. * Republicans reelected through 2005 included Richard C. Shelby, Alabama; Frank H. Murkowski, Alaska; John McCain, Arizona; Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Colorado; Paul Coverdell, Georgia; Charles E. Grassley, Iowa; Sam Brownback, Kansas; Christopher S. Bond, Missouri; Judd Gregg, New Hampshire; Don Nickles, Oklahoma; Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania; and Robert F. Bennett, Utah.

House

Most analysts predicted the Republicans would gain some seats in the House, but few predicted the Republican majority would shrink. Seventeen House seats changed parties, 11 to the Democrats and 6 to the Republicans. Twenty-two others remained under the control of the incumbent party, but will be filled by a new representative. States with new representatives in the 106th Congress are listed below. All other incumbents were reelected.
* California — Democrat Mike Thompson will take over for Republican Frank Riggs in the First Congressional District, and Republican Doug Ose will replace Democrat Vic Fazio in the Third Congressional District. Grace Napolitano maintained the Democrats' hold on the seat formerly held by Esteban Edward Torres in the 34th District. Republican Steven Kuykendall will take over the 36th District seat formerly held by Democrat Jane Harman, while Gary Miller will take over for Jay Kim as the Republican representative of the 41st District. * Colorado — Democrat Mark Udall will take over for Democrat David E. Skaggs in the Second District, while Tom Tancredo won the Sixth District seat formerly held by fellow Republican Dan Schaefer. * Connecticut — Democrat John Larson will take over for Democrat Barbara Kennelly in the First District. * Idaho — Republican Mike Simpson won the Second District seat formerly held by Republican Michael D. Crapo. * Illinois — Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat, will take over for Democrat Sidney Richard Yates in Illinois's Ninth District. In the 13th District Republican Judy Biggert will take over for Republican Harris W. Fawell, while the 19th District seat held by Democrat Glenn Poshard went to Democrat David Phelps. * Indiana — The Ninth District seat of Democrat Lee H. Hamilton went to Democrat Baron Hill. * Kansas — Democrat Dennis Moore will replace Republican Vince Snowbarger in Kansas's Third Congressional District. * Kentucky — Democrat Kenneth Lucas will replace Republican Jim Bunning in Kentucky's Fourth District. Republican Ernie Fletcher won the Sixth District seat formerly held by Democrat Scotty Baesler. * Massachusetts — Democrat Michael Capuano will assume the Eighth District seat formerly held by Democrat Joseph P. Kennedy II. * Mississippi — Democrat Ronnie Shows will take over for Republican Mike Parker in Mississippi's Fourth Congressional District. * Nebraska — Republican Lee Terry won the Second District seat formerly held by Republican Jon Christensen. * Nevada — Democrat Shelley Berkley will take over for Republican John E. Ensign in Nevada's First District. * New Jersey — The 12th District seat formerly held by Republican Michael Pappas went to Democrat Rush Holt. * New Mexico — Democrat Thomas Udall will take over for Republican Bill Redmond in New Mexico's Third District. * New York — Democrat Joseph Crowley will fill the Seventh District seat formerly held by Democrat Thomas J. Manton; Democrat Anthony Weiner will take over for Democrat Charles E. Schumer in the Ninth District; Republican John Sweeney will replace fellow Republican Gerald B. H. Solomon in the 22nd district; and Republican Thomas Reynolds will assume the 27th district seat held by Republican Bill Paxon. * North Carolina — Robert Hayes, a Republican, will take over the Eighth District seat formerly held by Democrat W. G. Hefner. * Ohio — The 11th District seat previously held by Democrat Louis Stokes went to Democrat Stephanie Tubbs Jones. * Oregon — Democrat David Wu won the First District seat held by Democrat Elizabeth Furse, while Republican Greg Walden won the Second District seat held by Republican Robert F. Smith. * Pennsylvania — Republican Donald Sherwood will take over the Tenth District seat held by Republican Joseph M. McDade. The 13th District seat held by Republican Jon D. Fox went to Democrat Joseph Hoeffel, while the 15th District seat held by Democrat Paul McHale went to Republican Patrick Toomey. * South Carolina — Republican James DeMint will take over for Republican Bob Inglis in the Fourth Congressional District. * Washington — Democrat Jay Inslee won the First District seat held by Republican Rick White, while Democrat Brian Baird won the Third District seat held by Republican Linda Smith. * Wisconsin — Republican Paul Ryan will take over for Mark W. Neumann in the First District, Democrat Tammy Baldwin won the Second District seat held by Republican Scott L. Klug, and Republican Mark Green won the Eighth District seat held by Democrat Jay W. Johnson.

Governors

Moderates from both parties did well in the 36 gubernatorial races. Republican governors held the governor's mansions in 32 states going into the election, while the Democrats controlled 17 and independents 1. The races were closely watched because state governments will play an important role when national congressional districts are redrawn following the 2000 census.

Overall, the numbers changed little, with Republicans suffering a net loss of one governorship and independents adding one to their total. Some of the more notable races are described below.
* In California, the most populous state, Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis defeated Attorney General Dan Lungren in a race to replace the outgoing Republican administration of Pete Wilson. Davis became the first Democratic governor of California in 16 years. * The Southern United States, once staunch supporters of the Democrats, have in recent years turned sharply toward the Republican Party. But on November 3 Democrats Don Siegelman and Jim Hodges defeated Republican incumbents Forrest James, Jr. and David Beasley in Alabama and South Carolina. The issue of using state lotteries to support education, an idea backed by both Siegelman and Hodges, helped push the Democrats over the top. * Texas governor George W. Bush III, the son of former U.S. president George Bush, easily won reelection over Democrat Garry Mauro. The victory lent momentum to the governor's reported plans to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. Meanwhile, brother Jeb Bush won the governorship of Florida over Democrat Buddy McKay. The Bushes became the first brothers to simultaneously hold governorships since Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller governed New York and Arkansas in the late 1960s and early 1970s. * In Minnesota former professional wrestler turned Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura defeated Democrat Hubert H. Humphrey III and Republican Norm Coleman. * Republican Bill Owens defeated incumbent Democrat Roy Romer of Colorado, bringing the Rocky Mountain state into the Republican fold for the first time in 24 years. Democrats returned the favor in Iowa—held by Republicans since 1969—as Democrat Tom Vilsack defeated Republican Jim Lightfoot. * Seven states elected new governors. They are: Democrat Roy Barnes, Georgia; Republican Dirk Kempthorne, Idaho; Republican George Ryan, Illinois; Republican Mike Johanns, Nebraska; Republican Kenny Guinn, Nevada; and Republican Robert Taft, Ohio. * Incumbents won reelection in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Initiatives

Voters across the country decided 61 major statewide initiatives that sought to amend or add laws governing affirmative action, abortion, medicinal marijuana, same sex marriages, campaign finance, assisted suicide, and dozens of other topics. For the first time in history, most of the initiatives passed, but many faced court challenges that could block implementation for years.
* Voters in Washington State approved Initiative 200, which will dismantle state affirmative action laws. The measure was based on a California law approved in 1996. * Attempts to ban partial birth abortions failed in Washington and Colorado. Colorado voters approved a measure requiring that parents of minors seeking an abortion be notified in advance. * Washington, Nevada, Alaska, and Oregon voted to allow physicians to prescribe marijuana to treat conditions such as glaucoma. Oregon also reduced criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of the drug. Voters in Arizona reasserted their approval of the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Arizona passed a similar law in 1996, only to have their legislature modify the law. Colorado and the District of Colombia also voted on the issue of medicinal marijuana. Results of the vote in Washington, D.C., were ordered sealed by the Congress of the United States, which opposed the measure. Votes in Colorado were not counted after election officials discovered, and the state supreme court agreed, that the measure lacked enough signatures to be on the ballot. * Alaska and Hawaii took steps to bar same-sex marriages. Alaska approved Ballot Measure 2, which amended the state constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual union. Hawaii, meanwhile, amended its constitution to give lawmakers the power to bar gay marriage. In 1993 Hawaii's Supreme Court ruled that barring same-sex marriages constituted discrimination. * Voters in Michigan defeated Proposal B, which would have legalized assisted suicide in Michigan. * Arizona and Massachusetts approved proposals to allot public campaign funds to political candidates who agree to limit spending and contributions from private sources. * California approved Proposition 10, which will raise cigarette taxes by 50 cents a pack. Revenues will be used to fund child development and smoking prevention programs. * Oregon voters passed a measure to conduct all future elections by mail. Oregon became the first state in the country to adopt a measure of this kind.