In 1854, the first cracks in the state Democratic Party began to show after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act by Congress. Bright and his faction, a majority of the party, began forcing out anti-slavery members of the party leadership, using support of the act as a litmus test of party loyalty. By then the national debate over the possible break-up of the Union had begun. The Whig party was also on the brink of collapse, and a new coalition party of former Whigs, former Democrats, the anti-immigration Free Soil party, and the anti-slavery Liberty Party came together. The result was the so-called Know-Nothing Party and the first real challenge to Democratic control of the state in a generation. The 1854 mid-term election caused the Democrats to lose seats in the Senate, but still maintain control. The Democrats did, however, lose their majority in the house. The House was split with no party attaining majority, and the Whigs caucused with the Democrats to control the assembly. The effect was a virtual paralysis to the legislature, and Wright was unable to make any significant accomplishments during his last two years in office.