Republicans will have razor-thin congressional majorities in 2025, meaning that those who represent swing districts may be reluctant to enact President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda ahead of the 2026 midterm election. And if Trump attacks these naysayers, as is likely, that, too, will undermine the party’s electoral prospects.
NEW HAVEN – It is easy to exaggerate Donald Trump’s defeat of Kamala Harris in the recent US presidential contest. He won the popular vote by less than two percentage points – a similar margin of victory as the winners of the last three elections. The last time a president won by anything like a “landslide” was in 2008, when Barack Obama triumphed over John McCain by seven percentage points and led the Democrats to large majorities in Congress. As a result, the 111th Congress was the most productive in decades.
NEW HAVEN – It is easy to exaggerate Donald Trump’s defeat of Kamala Harris in the recent US presidential contest. He won the popular vote by less than two percentage points – a similar margin of victory as the winners of the last three elections. The last time a president won by anything like a “landslide” was in 2008, when Barack Obama triumphed over John McCain by seven percentage points and led the Democrats to large majorities in Congress. As a result, the 111th Congress was the most productive in decades.