In the 1994 midterms, halfway through Bill Clinton's first term Democrats lost both the House and Senate, giving the GOP the House majority for the first time since 1954. Conventional wisdom had it that Republicans won because they nationalized the race six weeks before election day with their "Contract With America," written by soon-to-be House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia and his right-hand man, Rep. Dick Armey of Texas. Whether that was really responsible for the victory is open to interpretation — Clinton was very unpopular at the time — but it was a novel strategic approach and the political media ate it up, lending the contract an almost mythic status.
It was an interesting document, based in part on Ronald Reagan's 1985 State of the Union address and made up of various culture-war slogans and longstanding conservative policy goals. The GOP promised to implement a slew of procedural changes to how the House would be run, from changing seniority rules to cutting committees. After 40 years of uninterrupted control, it was like a political earthquake.
