1994 United States elections

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Elections were held on November 8, 1994, in the middle of Democratic President Bill Clinton's first term. The elections have been described as the "Republican Revolution" because the Republican Party captured unified control of Congress for the first time since 1952. Republicans picked up eight seats in the Senate and won a net of 54 seats in the House of Representatives. Republicans also picked up a net of ten governorships and took control of many state legislative chambers. This is the first midterm election since 1946 in which the Republicans flipped both houses of Congress and ended unified Democratic control under a Democratic president. It is also the first midterm election since 1954 in which any major party simultaneously flipped both houses and ended a government trifecta. Republicans were able to nationalize the election by campaigning on a "Contract with America", and the new Republican majorities passed conservative legislation such as the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, and the Defense of Marriage Act. The election was a major defeat for Clinton's health care plan. George W. Bush's election as Governor of Texas laid the groundwork for his successful campaign for president in 2000.

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