Abstract
Treating the selection of party leaders as strategic choices legislators make to advance party goals, this article examines conflict and consensus in leadership selection. Analysis of unique archival data from Newt Gingrich's 87 to 85 vote victory over Ed Madigan in the 1989 Whip race reveals that ideology, terms in office, and a prior commitment to majority building significantly determined individual legislators' support for Gingrich's confrontational style to build a Republican majority over Madigan's style of accommodating Democrats to win legislative concessions. Aconcluding discussion considers the applicability of these findings for developing theories of member choice in leadership elections.
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