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In United States history, the degree to which the President's political party has control over the House of Representatives and Senate often determines his or her political strength - such as the ability to pass sponsored legislation, ratify treaties, and have Cabinet members and judges approved. Moreover, it appears to have a strong effect on his or her historical ranking, especially in conjunction with years served and number of elections won.

The commomly-quoted recent rankings of presidents have the same top 18 presidents in slightly differing orders as the 2000 Wall Street Journal poll used in this comparison except, in the lower rankings, some polls have added John Quincy Adams or Bill Clinton and deleted Ronald Reagan or William McKinley.

Of the top 18 presidents in the 2000 Wall Street Journal poll, all had:

• both houses for 100% of their time in office except, of the top six, Washington, and of the remaining 12, Adams, James Polk, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.
• the house for at least 75% of their time in office except Polk, Eisenhower and Reagan.
• the senate for at least 75% of their time in office except Adams, Cleveland and Eisenhower.
• won two elections and/or served more than four years except Adams, Polk and John F. Kennedy.
• the inclusion of all full-term presidents who controlled both houses except Martin Van Buren, Calvin Coolidge and Jimmy Carter.

Many presidents' elections produced what is known as a coattail effect, in which the success of a presidential candidate also leads to electoral success for other members of his or her party. In fact, all newly-elected presidents except Zachary Taylor, Richard Nixon and George H. W. Bush were accompanied by control of at least house of Congress.