Just a week ago, members of both parties were anticipating another Democratic “blue wave” election — Republicans with fear, Democrats with delight. Not only would President Trump and Trumpism be soundly repudiated in a landslide loss, but Democrats would ride Joe Biden’s coattails to establish a stable Senate majority, picking up perhaps a dozen U.S. House seats along the way.
How wrong everyone was. Even assuming Biden is declared the winner, he will have won in relatively close contests in several competitive states — and, at best, Democrats will end up with a 50-50 Senate. As for the House, Democrats are now more likely to lose ground than to gain seats. Such a result would get Republicans very close to the House majority they would want to build in the 2022 midterm elections under a prospective Biden presidency. They wouldn’t even need a huge “red wave” to do it, just a few well-placed wins amid public discontent.
