The Contract with America was a document released by the United States [Republican Party](https://doctorparadox.net/the-gop-is-3-cults-in-a-trenchcoat/) during the 1994 [[Congress]]ional election campaign. Co-authored by [[Newt Gingrich]], then House Minority Whip, and [[Dick Armey]], then Representative from Texas, the Contract outlined ten policies that Republicans promised to bring to a vote on the House floor during the first hundred days of the new Congress if they won the majority. The Contract with America was significant for several reasons. It helped to nationalize the 1994 mid-term elections around a set of concrete policy proposals, a somewhat unusual strategy for an off-year election. The document was used to promote a unified image for the Republican Party, one that was committed to specific principles and legislative actions. ## Conservative ideology codified The ten points in the Contract were largely based on popular ideas among [[conservative]]s at the time. They included proposals for fiscal policies, such as a balanced budget amendment and tax cuts for small businesses and families; for social policies, such as welfare reform and stronger anti-crime measures; and for political reforms, such as term limits for members of Congress. The 1994 election proved to be a sweeping victory for Republicans, who gained 54 seats in the [[House of Representatives]] and 9 in the [[Senate]], giving them control of both houses of Congress for the first time since 1952. Gingrich, one of the architects of the Contract, was elected Speaker of the House. In the subsequent Congress, most of the Contract's points were indeed brought to the House floor for a vote, and many passed. However, several of the more ambitious proposals, such as term limits and a [[constitution]]al amendment to require a balanced budget, failed to pass in the Senate. The Contract with America is seen as a pivotal moment in the modern history of the Republican Party, playing a key role in the party's resurgence in the mid-1990s. It helped frame the party's agenda for several years and has had a lasting influence on the party's platform and strategy. Begun during the Bill Clinton presidency, the [[Newt Gingrich]] style of opposition politics exemplified by the Contract With America continues to this day -- and if anything, the [hyper-partisanship it espouses has become even more bitter and vitriolic](https://doctorparadox.net/hyper-partisanship-definition-government/). See also: [[negative partisanship]]