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You are here: Home / 2026 Campaign / Why a Blue Wave May Be Harder This Year

Why a Blue Wave May Be Harder This Year

January 5, 2026 at 5:56 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats are celebrating signs that the tide is turning their way for the 2026 midterms. But translating dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump into an electoral tsunami, or even a wave election, will be much harder to achieve than in years past,” the Washington Post reports.

“History, polling, a narrow Republican majority, a string of off-year victories and voter anxiety over the economy favor the Democrats, who lead in support for control of Congress by five percentage points in a Post average of November and December national polls. But the battlefield in the House is smaller than ever, according to political analysts, experts and operatives, meaning Democrats will need to compete in districts that Trump won by large margins to pick up a significant number of seats.”

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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