Democrats won 40 House seats in the 2018 midterm elections, enough to give them control and end full Republican control in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump was unpopular, Democrats were energized, and Republicans lost important races around the country. Despite the big losses in the House, Republicans gained two seats in the Senate, defeating Democratic incumbents in Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, and Florida.

One reason was the Senate map. Democrats were defending seats in states Trump had won comfortably two years earlier. But Republicans also had something going for them that they didn’t in 2026: Most voters held a positive view of the economy.

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