According to the UVA Center for Politics’ Crystal Ball, an online publication that analyzes political data, the Democrats have not been this exposed (vulnerable) since 1970, during the Nixon administration.
The publication, in their analysis, notes that while there are some similarities between the Nixon years and our current political climate, “the political environment was far less polarized in 1970 than it is now.”
The outlier in this scenario is President-elect Donald Trump. In 2006, the Democrats took control of the House and Senate, as well as winning the majority of state gubernatorial elections and a large portion of state legislative races. The Democrat’s success is largely attributed to the unpopularity of second-term Republican President George W. Bush, and specifically public frustration with the War in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, economic performance, among other factors. Much of the Republicans’ and Democrats’ midterm hopes rest on Trump’s performance over the coming years. Big wins in economic and foreign policy, and avoidance of scandal, will likely translate to continued Republican control in 2018.
