The Democrats, as expected, lost control of both houses of Congress in 2022, but the result was a mixed bag for the GOP. The voters expected Republicans to behave responsibly in power, but where’s the fun in that? The 2021 welfare state legislation remained in place, and the outrageous, Trumpist antics of the GOP House and Senate gave Biden an easy target for the 2024 election.
In 2024, the GOP didn’t just have to deal with Trump’s baggage; they supported clawing back the benefits in the 2021 legislation, which was hideously unpopular among swing voters. All of the screaming about socialism and debt that resonated in 2022 had a completely different impact when it threatened the pocketbooks of swing voters. The Democrats consequently went into the election as huge favorites.