The Zigzag Midterm

Charlie Cook: “A diagram of the direction of the 2022 campaign would look like a zigzag. Democrats faced near gale-force headwinds into June, but that moderated considerably in the first half of the summer, with the most optimistic of Democrats having visions of retaining majorities in both the House and the Senate.”

“In recent weeks, though, those winds in Democrats’ faces have partially returned, almost ensuring that the party will lose its House majority and turning the Senate into something closer to a fair fight, with Democrats still possessing a slight edge. With Vice President Kamala Harris presiding over the Senate, no net change works out just fine for Democrats; Republicans have to actually gain a seat in order to reach majority status.”