The midterm elections turned out to be a wave, but not the all-GOP story in the headlines. No, the wave was ridden by incumbents, who bested the already high historical percentage of victory.

Typically about 92 percent of House incumbents win re-election, but this year 96 percent won — 372 of 389 seats. In the Senate, 80 percent usually win, but it hit 85 percent this year — 23 of 27 senators were re-elected. And governors led the way with 89 percent winning re-election, besting the typical rate of 73 percent.