The year was 2022. Democrats were in a panic heading into the midterm elections, all thanks to an unpopular president pushing unpopular spending that led to the highest inflation the country had seen since E.T. was in theaters 40 years ago.

The southern border was a full-blown crisis, with nearly 2.8 million people entering the country illegally that year, not including gotaways. Compare that to two years prior under President Donald Trump, when approximately 618,000 crossed the border illegally, a number about 80% lower.

Crime was rampant in cities run by Democratic mayors, with mass exoduses occurring from San Francisco, Chicago, and New York to red states such as Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.

As a result, two words dominated the cable news landscape heading into the November 2022 midterm elections: red wave.

Polls supported this sentiment of a Republican takeover of the House in overwhelming fashion. Many pundits had the GOP gaining anywhere from 30 to 40 seats while also taking back the Senate. At the time, President Joe Biden was 16 points underwater, according to Gallup, with just 40% supporting and 56% disapproving of his performance. His vice president, Kamala Harris, was somehow polling even lower.

So what happened? Republicans only netted nine seats in the House while failing to win back the Senate against profoundly subpar Democratic opponents in traditional red states, including Georgia and Arizona.

This wasn’t a red wave, but a ripple.

Fast forward to 2024: Trump, defying the weaponization of the justice system via lawfare, a perpetually hostile and dishonest media, and two assassination attempts, wins back the presidency. Republicans took back the Senate with a 53-47 majority. The party also held the House, albeit narrowly.

Postinauguration polls showed Trump scoring higher with the public than at any time during his first presidency,........

© Washington Examiner