Midterm Elections: How 1994 Midterms Set Off an Era of Divisive Politics

August 25, 2022
Has lesson plan

Midterm elections, often a referendum on the sitting president’s agenda, can set the stage for future policy debates. Economic and social issues with roots in the 1994 midterms are still being debated today.

Midterm elections are often overlooked by voters because presidential candidates are not on the ballot. However, midterm elections are also viewed as a referendum vote on the first two years of a president’s term. Two years into the presidency of Bill Clinton, the Republican Party used the 1994 elections as a referendum on Clinton, as public opposition mounted against his liberal policy efforts on healthcare, gun laws and gay people serving in the military.

The conservative movement, fueled by talk radio, was harnessed by Newt Gingrich, architect of the Contract with America, a blueprint to shrink government and rein in spending. The Republicans used the Contract with America to nationalize the election, a change from the conventional focus on state and local issues. Gingrich assembled a slate of conservative Republicans who swept to victory in the 1994 elections, ending the four-decades-long Democratic majority in the House.

Educators, click below for this video’s accompanying lesson plan, and check out our Midterm Elections Collection here.

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For teachers
  • Producer: Matthew Spolar
  • Editor: Maria Badia
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For Educators

Subjects
Civics & Government U.S. History
Topics
1950s 2000s Elections Political Parties Politics U.S. Presidents
Introduction

This 10-minute video provides a case study on the importance of midterm elections by examining the 1994 midterms using two different lesson plans.

Candidates & Campaigns: This lesson asks students to examine historical and contemporary midterm elections and candidates to determine how political issues and media coverage affect a candidate’s success. Students will analyze the 1994 midterm elections and then make connections to the 2022 midterms by examining contemporary candidates from different parties.

Issues and Actions: Students will examine primary sources and secondary sources to analyze how political issues from the 1994 midterm elections affected both that particular election and the current political climate. By analyzing key cultural and political issues from the 1994 election, students will examine polling data, candidate’s campaigns and contemporary news coverage to determine how these issues are still relevant today. Students will also investigate the Contract with America to determine how this platform played a role in the 1994 midterm elections.

Background reading
▼

Midterm elections are often overlooked by voters because presidential candidates are not on the ballot. However, midterm elections are also viewed as a referendum vote on the first two years of a president’s term. Two years into the presidency of Bill Clinton, the Republican Party used the 1994 elections as a referendum on Clinton, as public opposition mounted against his liberal policy efforts on healthcare, gun laws and gay people serving in the military.

The conservative movement, fueled by talk radio, was harnessed by Newt Gingrich, architect of the Contract with America, a blueprint to shrink government and rein in spending. The Republicans used the Contract with America to nationalize the election, a change from the conventional focus on state and local issues. Gingrich assembled a slate of conservative Republicans who swept to victory in the 1994 elections, ending the four-decades-long Democratic majority in the House.

Lesson Plan 1: Candidates & Campaigns
Candidates & Campaigns
Candidates and Campaigns
Midterm Elections
Overview
▼

Students will learn how the midterm elections, often a referendum on the sitting president’s agenda, can set the stage for future policy debates.

Objectives
▼

Students will:

  • Explain how midterm elections are different from presidential elections and why they are important in American politics.
  • Analyze how the changing media landscape affected the functioning of government during and after the 1994 midterm election.
  • Analyze contemporary political issues and identify connections and draw distinctions between the 1994 and 2022 elections.
Essential questions
▼
  • Why are midterm elections viewed as referendums on the first two years of a presidential term?
  • How did the changing media landscape contribute to a divisive political climate in the 1990s?
  • What connections can we draw between the 1994 and 2022 midterm elections?
Additional resources
▼
Standards
▼
  • Common Core State Standards
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1:Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1:Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2:Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2:Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4:Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
    • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.4:Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
  • National Council for the Social Studies C3 Framework
    • D2.Civ.1.9-12.Distinguish the powers and responsibilities of local, state, tribal, national, and international civic and political institutions.
    • D2.Civ.2.9-12.Analyze the role of citizens in the U.S. political system, with attention to various theories of democracy, changes in Americans’ participation over time, and alternative models from other countries, past and present.
    • D2.Civ.10.9-12.Analyze the impact and the appropriate roles of personal interests and perspectives on the application of civic virtues, democratic principles, constitutional rights, and human rights.
    • D2.Civ.13.9-12.Evaluate public policies in terms of intended and unintended outcomes, and related consequences.
    • D2.Civ.14.9-12.Analyze historical, contemporary, and emerging means of changing societies, promoting the common good, and protecting rights.
  • AP Government and Politics
    • Unit 5: Political Participation
Lesson Plan 2: Issues and Actions
Issues and Actions
Issues and Actions
Midterm Elections
Overview
▼

Two years into President Bill Clinton’s first term, public opposition mounted against his liberal policy efforts on healthcare, gun laws and gay people serving in the military. This conservative movement, fueled by talk radio, was harnessed by Newt Gingrich, architect of the Contract with America, a blueprint to shrink government and reign in spending. Gingrich assembled a slate of conservative Republicans who swept to victory in the 1994 elections, ending the four-decades-long Democratic majority in the House.



Objectives
▼

Students will:

  • Analyze issues from the 1994 midterm elections and summarize how those issues affected voters.
  • Examine primary and secondary source documents to determine the key main idea and supporting details.
  • Make comparisons and connections between political issues from 1994 and the present day.
Essential questions
▼
  • How do candidates use issues as a means for generating campaign interest in driving voter participation?
  • Why was the Contract with America a useful tool for Republican congressional candidates?
  • What issues from the 1994 midterm elections are relevant today? How have the policies and rhetoric surrounding those issues changed over time?
Additional resources
▼

Primary and secondary source articles connected to issues from the 1994 midterm election:

Standards
▼

Common Core Standards:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6: Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.7: Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7:Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

C-3 Framework Standards for Social Studies:

  • D1.5.9-12. Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration multiple points of view represented in the sources, the types of sources available, and the potential uses of the sources.
  • D2.Civ.2.9-12. Analyze the role of citizens in the U.S. political system, with attention to various theories of democracy, changes in Americans’ participation over time, and alternative models from other countries, past and present.
  • D2.Civ.4.9-12. Explain how the U.S. Constitution establishes a system of government that has powers, responsibilities, and limits that have changed over time and that are still contested.
  • D2.Civ.7.9-12. Apply civic virtues and democratic principles when working with others.
  • D2.Civ.10.9-12. Analyze the impact and the appropriate roles of personal interests and perspectives on the application of civic virtues, democratic principles, constitutional rights, and human rights.
  • D2.Civ.12.9-12. Analyze how people use and challenge local, state, national, and international laws to address a variety of public issues. 
  • D2.Civ.13.9-12. Evaluate public policies in terms of intended and unintended outcomes, and related consequences. 
  • D2.Civ.14.9-12. Analyze historical, contemporary, and emerging means of changing societies, promoting the common good, and protecting rights.
  • D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
  • D2.His.2.9-12. Analyze change and continuity in historical eras.
  • D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context. 
  • D2.His.4.9-12. Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.