Dear Editor,
Since the Civil War, the President’s party has lost seats in 38 of 42 midterm elections. Is it buyer’s remorse? Not really. The more likely explanation is turnout. About 6 in 10 eligible voters cast ballots in a Presidential year, but only about 4 in 10 do in a midterm. The voters who drop out aren’t random. The President’s casual supporters tend to stay home, while the angriest voters show up. The country didn’t change its mind; a different slice of it voted.
There’s also a coattail effect. A Presidential win usually carries extra seats in Congress, and two years later, with the President off the ticket, those seats often flip back. The founders designed it that way, giving the people a chance to check a Presidency at the halfway point.
What shaped this midterm
Many voters were unhappy with the Iran war and the price of gas. Trump promised to avoid another forever war, and even if this one ends soon and prices come down, it was unpopular. Many voters focused on that single issue rather than the administration’s broader record.
Democrats campaigned on affordability but offered few concrete policies. During the Biden years, they cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline and restricted drilling, which critics say contributed to high gas prices. Just before the 2024 election, Biden drew down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower prices temporarily, and we are still refilling it. Voters shouldn’t expect a Democratic Congress to bring relief at the pump. And which Democratic policies would create good-paying private-sector jobs? Growing government doesn’t count.
Republican policies, by contrast, are producing jobs. In October, the economy added 165,000 jobs and unemployment fell to 4.1%. Factories are being built, and manufacturing jobs are returning. Many voters see tariffs only as a higher price tag, but they want instant results and aren’t willing to wait for a war to end or a factory to be built. If we stay the course, these policies will create good-paying jobs. The tariff revenue and job growth will also help cut the deficit, which matters for our children and grandchildren, and could help shore up Social Security and Medicare without the larger tax increases Democrats have inmind for working families.
What comes next
We’ll see whether the new Congress passes legislation for the American people or spends its time on investigations and lawfare in pursuit of revenge, the same kind of legal warfare that backfired and helped return President Trump to office. We’ll also see whether infighting breaks out between the new Democratic Socialists of America members and the party’s old guard. As for the Iran war, President Trump says he has no regrets and would do it again. Supporters will call that the mark of a leader who makes hard choices regardless of election results; critics will say it shows he’s ignoring voters. Either way, one thing is certain: President Trump will veto anything from this Congress that hurts the American people.
Victor Grippi
