| ←1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 → Midterm elections | |
| Election day | November 3 |
|---|---|
| Incumbent president | Bill Clinton(Democratic) |
| Next Congress | 106th |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Republican hold |
| Seats contested | 34 of 100 seats |
| Net seat change | 0 |
 | |
| 1998 Senate election results Democratic hold Republican hold Democratic gain Republican gain | |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Republican hold |
| Seats contested | All 435 voting seats |
| Popular vote margin | Republican +1.1% |
| Net seat change | Democratic +5 |
 | |
| 1998 House of Representatives results (territorial delegate races not shown) Democratic hold Republican hold Democratic gain Republican gain Independent hold | |
| Gubernatorial elections | |
| Seats contested | 38 (36 states, 2 territories) |
| Net seat change | Reform +1 |
 | |
| 1998 gubernatorial election results Democratic hold Republican hold Democratic gain Republican gain Reform gain Independent hold | |
Elections were held on November 3, 1998, in the middle ofDemocratic PresidentBill Clinton's second term and duringimpeachment proceedings against the president as a result of theClinton–Lewinsky scandal. ThoughRepublicans retained control of both chambers ofCongress, the elections were unusual because this is the first midterm since1934 that the president's party gained seats in theHouse of Representatives.
SeveralSenate seats changed hands, but neither party made a net gain. In the House of Representatives, Democrats picked up five seats, marking the first time since the1934 elections in which the incumbent president's party did not suffer losses in either house of Congress. This also occurred in2002. This is the most recent midterm election in which neither chamber of Congress changed partisan control.
The disruption of thesix-year itch is attributed to wide opposition to theimpeachment investigations against Clinton and his high popularity numbers.
In the Senate elections, Republicans picked up open seats in Ohio and Kentucky and narrowly defeated Democratic incumbentCarol Moseley Braun (Illinois), but these were cancelled out by the Democrats' gain of an open seat in Indiana and defeats of Republican Senators Al D'Amato (New York) and Lauch Faircloth (North Carolina). The balance of the Senate remained unchanged at 55–45 in favor of the Republicans.
The House of Representatives elections saw a significant disruption of the historicsix-year itch trend, where the president's party loses seats in the second-term midterm elections. Though Republicans won the national popular vote for the House by a margin of 1.1 percentage points and retained control of the chamber, Democrats picked up a net of five seats.[1] This marked the second time since theCivil War in which the president's party gained seats in the House of Representatives in a midterm election, following the1934 elections. Republicans would later gain seats during the2002 mid-terms. The 1998 elections were the first time since1822 in which the president's party gained seats in the House during the president's second midterm.
Theimpeachment of Clinton likely played a major role in the success of the Democratic Party in the House and Senate elections. The election precipitated a change in Republican leadership, withNewt Gingrich resigning asSpeaker of the House.[2] A 2001 study by Emory University political scientistAlan Abramowitz attributes the Republican Party's poor performance in the 1998 elections to a public backlash against Republicans' handling of theClinton-Lewinsky scandal and theimpeachment proceedings against President Clinton.[3]
Neither partymade net gains in governorships. Texas GovernorGeorge W. Bush'slandslide re-election solidified his status as a front-runner for the2000 Republican presidential nomination.[2]