Over the past few months, Democrats have enjoyed an unexpected feeling of optimism, as polling has shown their party unexpectedly competitive in House and Senate races. Maybe, despite the political gravity tugging their party down, they might be able to hold the Senate? Maybe both chambers? In less-realistic iterations, that optimism held that a massive surge of energy — fury, in particular — could lead to a blue wave that swept Democrats into office even in darker-red states.
It is still the case that Democrats might hold both chambers. But optimism is relative, and much of the optimism of the summer was that things wouldn’t be as bad as other indicators (like presidential approval) might suggest. Over the past week or two, though, the slow shift to the left that had been seen in the polls since the early summer began to stall or reverse. CONTINUED
Philip Bump, Washington Post
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