Come January 2025, Democrats will not control a single branch of the federal government, as Republicans take the White House and Senate while retaining a slender House majority. The real action in Washington will largely be on the right side of the aisle.

But in a polarized country, an out-of-power party’s time in the political wilderness can be brief. The last time a Republican presidential nominee won the popular vote, 20 years ago, Democrats retook Congress just two years later. Democrats will have high hopes for the midterm elections in 2026, and soon it will be off to the presidential races once again.