Bill Clinton Council (DLC), the New Democrats argued that in light of President Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in 1984, the Democratic Party needed to adopt a more centrist political stance in order to succeed at the national level. Clinton delivered the Democratic response to Reagan's 1985 State of the Union Address and served as chair of the National Governors Association from 1986 to 1987, bringing him to an audience beyond Arkansas. In the early 1980s, Clinton made reform of the Arkansas education system a top priority of his gubernatorial administration. The Arkansas Education Standards Committee was chaired by Clinton's wife Hillary Rodham
Cultural and political image of Hillary Clinton noted that they would no longer use "Rodham" in referring to Clinton, with the AP stating that "the campaign says to go with Hillary Clinton", and the New York Times providing the statement that: The changing usage of Clinton's name has been noted by various observers, and has been related to her political and social role at the time: Political detractors have often referred to Clinton by any of a number of portmanteau names combining "Hillary" with other words having negative connotations. Cultural and political image of Hillary Clinton The cultural and political image of Hillary Clinton has been explored