known challenger, cutting his reelection margin to a
few thousand. Democratic winners included Gover-
nor Michael Dukakis in Massachusetts and Gover-
nor Bill Clinton in Arkansas. In California, Republi-
cans were able to maintain a Republican seat in the
U.S. Senate with the election of Pete Wilson, and
they picked up the governorship as well, as George
Deukmejian was elected.
1986 Midterms The 1986 midterm elections saw
the Democrats at a disadvantage, as President Rea-
gan’s popularity hovered near 60 percent. How-
ever, the Republican Party faced several difficulties
in capitalizing on their advantage. The party had
picked up twelve Senate seats in 1980, giving it a ma-
jority, but those seats now needed to be defended
from Democratic challengers. Because the Repub-
licans needed to defend so many seats, they could
devote fewer resources to each one, and many of
those seats belonged to freshman senators, who
were particularly vulnerable. Complicating matters
further, many of the seats that the Republicans
needed to defend were also in the traditionally
Democratic South. If southern voters returned to
their Democratic roots, Republicans would lose
control of the Senate.
The Republicans therefore sought to nationalize
the midterms, depending on the status of the presi-
dent and the party generally to carry contests in par-
ticular states. Incumbent Republicans focused on
Reagan’s popularity and his support for the Strate-
gic Defense Initiative (SDI). A few weeks before the
election, Reagan met with Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev and refused to surrender the SDI pro-
gram in exchange for large cuts in the number of nu-
clear weapons deployed by each country. His deci-
sion to stand up to the Soviets became a rallying cry
for his candidates.
Reagan’s diplomacy and personal popularity did
not transfer to his party’s Senate candidates, how-
ever. Instead, Democrats picked off eight first-term
senators from the South and Midwest. Defeated Re-
publican incumbents included Mark Andrews of
North Dakota and James Abdnor of South Dakota,
both states suffering from a poor farm economy.
In the South, Reagan Democrats returned to their
habitual party affiliation, while African Americans
voted overwhelmingly for the Democrats. In North
Carolina, incumbent Republican senator John East
committed suicide after being diagnosed with can-
cer. His replacement, James Broyhill, was appointed
to his position in July, 1986, putting him at a fund-
raising and name-recognition disadvantage. Geor-
gia’s first Republican senator since reconstruction,
Mack Mattingly, was defeated, when Democrats re-
turned to the fold and elected Representative Wyche
Fowler to the upper house. Three other senators,
Slade Gorton of Washington, Paula Hawkins of
Florida, and Jeremiah Denton of Alabama, were un-
able to gain a second term. Hawkins was defeated by
popular governor Bob Graham, while Denton ran
mainly on his eight years as a prisoner of war in Viet-
nam rather than on his legislative record.
Republicans did pick up one seat, winning in Mis-
souri, where Senator Thomas Eagleton, a 1972 vice
presidential candidate, had retired. In Arizona, Sen-
ator Barry Goldwater’s retirement left an empty
seat, which was filled by John McCain. The Demo-
crats thus realized a net gain of eight Senate seats,
giving them fifty-five seats and control of the cham-
ber. In the House, the Democrats picked up five
seats, with a few notable names winning and losing.
In Georgia, the actor Ben Jones, who played Cooter
onThe Dukes of Hazzard, was unable to unseat a Re-
publican incumbent. In Iowa, however,The Love
Boat’s Fred Grandy (who played the purser, Gopher)
won a seat.
Impact The 1982 midterm results slowed the Rea-
gan Revolution, limiting the domestic programs that
Reagan could cut, while placing additional pressure
on his administration to improve the economy. The
1986 election ended Republican control of the Sen-
ate. It placed the Democrats in control of domestic
politics until 1988, and it also led to the defeat of
conservative jurist Robert Bork’s nomination to the
Supreme Court.
Further Reading
Farrell, John.Tip O’Neill and the Democratic Centur y.
New York: Random House, 2002. Detailed exami-
nation of House Speaker Tip O’Neill’s battles
during his thirty-year career, including his politi-
cal fights with President Ronald Reagan
Gould, Lewis.Grand Old Party: A Histor y of the Repub-
licans. New York: Random House, 2003. Wide-
ranging look at the creation of the party, its domi-
nance in the latter half of the nineteenth century,
its fall, and its revival under Reagan.
Reeves, Richard.President Reagan. New York: Simon
& Schuster, 2005. Critical biography of the presi-The Eighties in America Elections in the United States, midterm 321