Idle Wave: The Democratic Landslide That Wasn’t

Written by Tony Perkins

Democratic donors are feeling a lot lighter in the wallet this week, but how much do they have to show for it? While Fox News raced to call the U.S. House for Democrats, the real story behind the numbers is a crushing one for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). She didn’t just watch her majority shrink — she witnessed a foreboding flip of seats in solidly blue districts. Will she have control over the House when it’s all over? Probably, but from a much weaker position — and without a U.S. Senate takeover to cushion the blow.

It might be one of the most underreported narratives of Tuesday night, but when the dust settles, the GOP will have significantly outperformed in the U.S. House. Both parties, Politico points out, thought the congressional races would be a bloodbath. Democrats were supposed to win “a dozen seats in the House,” they explain, “and knock off a whole host of Republican incumbents.” Guess what? Those projections, like all the rest, were completely wrong. Instead, it was Republicans beating Democrats — and, more importantly, Democratic incumbents.

“They beat Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson after a few decades of trying,” reporters announced. They stunned in liberal strongholds like Miami, knocking off Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Donna Shalala. In places like Staten Island, South Carolina, and New Mexico, the wins came tumbling in for Republicans. “And, to add insult to injury, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Cheri Bustos, is struggling to hang on to her Illinois district.” “So much for the election landslide,” the Wall Street Journal proclaimed.

“We defied the odds,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters triumphantly. After wasting a year on bogus impeachment charges and refusing to negotiate on any legislation of substance, the country’s message to Democrats seems to be: Start doing your jobs, or we’ll give them to someone else. For pro-lifers, who’ve been battling the most extreme abortion agenda in history, the GOP’s upsets are especially good news. The more they chip away at the Left’s majority, the better likelihood of success on things like the discharge petition of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Depending on where the final numbers end up, Republicans may finally be able to force a vote to stop legal infanticide. That, in itself, would be a major win for the unborn.

Of course, the biggest prize of the night was the U.S. Senate, where liberal activists had pumped tens of millions of dollars into defeating the GOP. But outspent, Americans quickly learned, does not mean outgunned. And within a few short hours, it was clear that voters weren’t ready to hand the keys to a party who threatened to blow up the filibuster, pack the U.S. Supreme Court, and unseat district judges. Pollsters, who insisted the Senate was a lock for the Left, had even more egg on their face when U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the Democrats’ biggest target and shepherd of the Amy Coney Barrett nomination, won in a race that wasn’t even close.

Donors lost $90 million in their bid to unseat Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a record-breaking $108 million to oust Graham, and another $24 million to dispose of U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-T). When CNN’s Van Jones said that “a lot of Democrats are hurt and scared tonight,” he wasn’t just talking about the presidential race. The fact that the Left couldn’t live up to its lofty goals is proof that the party is in some disarray. Despite the advantages Pelosi and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had — not just financially but with their liberal megaphones in the media and social media — Democrats still can’t overcome the realities of their unpopular agenda.

With Michigan’s John James (R) still in the hunt, Thom Tillis (R-NC) and David Perdue (R-GA) up by two points, Alaska’s Dan Sullivan (R) double-digits ahead, and Alabama’s Tommy Tuberville (R), Iowa’s Joni Ernst (R), Montana’s Steve Daines (R) now safely in the win column, Republicans’ worst fears are put to rest. Within the next 24 hours, U.S. Senate control should be safely in the GOP’s hands — which, depending on what happens to the White House, may prove monumentally important. Not to mention miraculous, considering the obstacles they faced.

At least for now, while we watch the presidency swing from one candidate to the other, we can take comfort that this U.S. Senate will either be a check on a radical Biden or a boost to a second-term Trump. Either way, it’s a victory worth celebrating.

This article was originally published at FRC Action.