"The president said some very nice things about my efforts in helping the Lithuanian people in their fight for freedom. He told the crowd about President Landsbergis's visit to my office that night in 1989 and the vision that he had shared with me. He acknowledged the members of Congress who had worked tirelessly to help the tiny Baltic states gain their freedom from the Soviet Union."[2]
In 1994, however, Sarpalius was one of a large number of House Democrats unseated in the "Republican Revolution". He lost to former Reagan administration official Mac Thornberry, taking only 45 percent of the vote to Thornberry's 55 percent. Thornberry would go on to hold the seat for almost a quarter-century. To date, Sarpalius is the last Democrat to garner even 40 percent of the district's vote.
Later career
After leaving Congress, Sarpalius was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton as a top official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He is currently the chief executive officer of Advantage Associates, a powerful Washington consulting firm made up of former elected officials. After the success of his book The Grand Duke from Boys Ranch, he became a sought after motivational public speaker.[citation needed]