Midterm Surprises: A Republican Underperformance

In the early hours of Wednesday, control of both the House and Senate remained uncertain.

Going into the midterms, some analysts expected a repudiation of the Democrats and a surge of Republican victories. But this “red wave” did not materialize. 

Today, we try to make sense of the surprising results. 

Guest: Astead W. Herndon, a national political reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• As the results continue to come in, follow the latest updates here. 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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