Lost in the hype about the coming millennium is the simple fact that the decade of the '90s produced a fundamental change in American politics. For the half-century before this decade began, Democrats dominated American politics below the presidential level.
Like the wolf in The Three Little Pigs, Republicans had tried and tried and tried to penetrate the Democratic stronghold, but largely to no avail. Sure, Republicans held a majority of the governorships in 1953-54, during the Eisenhower Administration, and in 1969-70, during the Nixon Administration, and they controlled the Senate from 1981-87 thanks to Ronald Reagan. But, for the most part, it was a period of huffing and puffing.
That all changed in 1992 and 1994. While the champagne was still bubbling at Democratic victory parties in 1992, as the party faithful celebrated capturing the White House for the first time since 1976, something ominous had already begun, culminating two years later in the historic losses that Democrats suffered at every level, ending the Democratic domination of American politics that began with Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The signs were there
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.