Contract with America

The Contract with America is a document released by the U.S. Republican Party as part of the 1994 campaign for the Congressional elecions detailing the program of legislation that will be introduced if the Republicans are elected. Many of the ideas in the Contract came from the influence of the Heritage Foundation upon conservative Republican politicians. Not all of the pledges in the Contract were successful - some did not pass Congress, while President Bill Clinton vetoed other parts. The Contract was written to satisfy what Newt Gingrich described as "60%" issues - issues where it was perceived that the majority of voters would agree, rather than on issues like abortion.