Clinton's approval ratings during Lewinsky

[Nym90]

There was a backlash against the perception that the Republicans were implementing an unwarranted political vendetta against Clinton.

An interesting fact about the impeachment that I haven't really seen mentioned anywhere is that one of the two articles that passed in the House would have failed if the vote had been taken in the newly elected House as opposed to the lame duck House (well, if we assume that all of the newly elected members in 1998 would have voted the party line, anyway, which seems a safe assumption). The obstruction of justice article passed with only 221 votes, so the 5 seats the GOP lost in November would have been enough to defeat it; plus one of the Dems whose seat flipped to the GOP (Paul McHale) was a yes vote, so there would have only been 215 votes in favor.

Also, since the House voted on impeachment in the lame duck session but the Senate didn't take it up until 1999, House members who were elected to the Senate in 1998, such as Charles Schumer and Jim Bunning, got to vote on impeachment twice.