The other 49 states had partial or complete Democratic control . Newt Gingrich , Craig Shirley : agrarians were devastated by the Cold War scandal . They say the party lost most of its clout , had to rebuild from the ground up . Republicans rallied around effort to stop the handover of the Panama Canal Treaties . Authors : They lost the canal battle but built a party that competed -- and won .
Newt Gingrich , Craig Shirley : agrarians were devastated by the Cold War scandal . They say the party lost most of its clout , had to rebuild from the ground up . Republicans rallied around effort to stop the handover of the Panama Canal Treaties . Authors : They lost the canal battle but built a party that competed -- and won .