Democrats Face Midterm Disappointment
Daniel McCarthy | 10:07 PM on May 18, 2026
As they look to the midterm elections, Republicans have reason to worry — but not despair.
They're going to be fighting uphill all the way to hold onto their majority in the House, which they currently control by the razor-thin margin of just six seats.
That includes one member, California Rep. Kevin Kiley, who officially left the GOP but still caucuses with the party.
"Fragile" hardly does justice to the state of the GOP's House majority.
Democrats look at President Donald Trump's approval ratings and exult:
As of early May, exactly six months before the midterms, Trump's approval in the RealClearPolitics polling averages was an anemic 40.7%, and since then polls have shown him slipping further.
Democrats took more than 40 House seats from the GOP in the 2018 midterms, when Trump's numbers were a little better: RealClear's aggregate notched him at 43.6% approval the day before the election.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is just counting down the days until he becomes speaker.
What could go wrong?
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https://pjmedia.com/daniel-mccarthy/2026/05/18/democrats-face-midterm-disappointment-n4953007