Bullish Republicans are predicting a midterm election red wave next year could sweep both chambers of Congress and end unified Democrat control in Washington.
The Hill reports the confidence is predicated on a number of factors. Among the things poisoning the electoral well for the Democrats are the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, rising fuel prices, supply chain woes, inflation and deeply unpopular leadership in Washington from President Joe Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris.
The House is viewed by many on both sides of the aisle as most vulnerable to Republican predations, given Democrats’ razor-thin five-seat majority there. However, despite a favorable map for Democrats, the party’s 50-50 majority in that chamber could be toppled too, the report estimates.
“I’ve been telling Democrats, especially Democrats in targeted seats, enjoy the holidays, and you got a decision to make: retire or lose next fall,” Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told The Hill.
Emmer cautioned a GOP House majority is not guaranteed though he maintained up to 70 Democrats could be deposed in a possible red wave, warning “in this environment, no Democrat is safe.”
History is also on the side of the GOP, with the party in the White House customarily shedding seats in the midterms as voters look to make their voices heard.
GOP waves helped flip the House toward Republicans in 2010 and the Senate four years later, while a blue wave helped win Democrats back the lower chamber in 2018.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) talks on the phone December 15, 2021 in Washington, DC, after Congress gave final approval to legislation that would raise the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion, avoiding a first-ever federal default until after the 2022 midterm elections. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
Recent waves have flipped dozens of seats, and the GOP must net just five to triumph next year.
“I’m very confident that we’re gonna take back the House,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who represents a suburban swing district near Omaha, told The Hill “I think that on the key issues right now, all the energy is on our side.
“And when I look at all the polling data, it matches what I see in the district, voters are concerned about inflation, crime, the border, Afghanistan, and all those issues are in our favor.”
Monday’s positive estimation of Republican chances in 2022 is not the first – or the last – to predict a GOP triumph across the board.
As Breitbart News reported last month, Republicans around the country gearing up for the midterms are promising a major education reform push focused on parental rights and educational standards.
A Republican path to victory would involve advocating for “strong schools that teach our children how to excel, not watering down the curriculum, a school where parents have a say in what their children are being taught,” Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin said.
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