The 2020 presidential election was supposed to be a Democratic sweep. But the so-called “blue wave” never materialized. The presidential election was tighter than most polls predicted, the GOP looks set to hold on to the Senate, and Republican candidates managed to gain, on net, five House seats, with many more still undecided.

In many ways, this might have been the best-case scenario for the conservative movement. Unshackled from the toxicity of President Trump’s persona and retaining control of the Senate, the GOP has an opportunity to rebuild itself without relinquishing immediate political control. Yet the election results were worrying for conservatives in a different way.