Republicans haven’t forgotten about the red wave that got away two years ago but have one big reason to hope Tuesday will turn out differently: Former President Donald Trump will be on the ballot.

Trump isn’t the sole determining factor in differentiating the midterm elections from this year’s presidential race. Republican operatives are mostly bullish on the uptick in early voting by the GOP rank-and-file. President Joe Biden’s position became so untenable he dropped out after the primaries and he still weighs down his replacement, Vice President Kamala Harris.