For example, in the 104th Congress ( 1995-1996), Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and his principal deputy, Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, were able to quickly push the Contract With America agenda through the House (Davidson and Olezek 2002). Without effective leadership in the White House or on Capital Hill, however, building consensus among highly disparate interests is often impossible. Here again, a parallel situation exists at the state and local level. Policy stalemate is less likely when a governor, a mayor, or a strong legislator can help to reconcile policy conflicts and bring together policy actors with different views.