One of the many ways midterm elections are different from presidential elections is that there’s an element of subjectivity to determining which party won. In a presidential election year, whichever party captures the White House is seen as the winner, but in a midterm election cycle, it isn’t as clear — a lot depends on the context and on expectations.

In 1998, for instance, Republicans maintained control of both chambers of Congress, losing just five seats in the House to Democrats. If that were to happen this year, it would be considered an incredible triumph for Republicans. But 1998 was the sixth year of Bill Clinton’s presidency, an election cycle typically associated with major gains for the opposition party — and that year, Clinton was enduring the fallout from the revelation of his lying about an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The GOP performance was seen as so dismal it helped force Newt Gingrich to resign as House Speaker.