WASHINGTON—Democrats took the House. Republicans expanded their margin in the Senate. And Americans were left wondering what exactly it all meant.The midterm elections on Tuesday were much better for Democrats than for Republicans: Democrats seized the prize they had been targeting all along, House control, plus seven governorships and hundreds of seats in state legislatures. But Republicans were comforted by their own victories in some key races, and the president, as per usual, claimed to be vindicated.Here are nine lessons from a big night:Right now, it is not the economy: Democrats campaigned largely on health care, Republicans heavily on immigration. But this election was about Trump more than anything else, defying the “economy, stupid” mantra that has become conventional wisdom about election outcomes. About two-thirds of voters thought the economy is good or excellent, exit polls suggested. But a majority of them still thought the country was heading in the wrong direction, and Democrats appeared to win the House popular vote by about seven percentage points. Even a continued run of unemployment under 4 per cent might not be sufficient for Trump and his party in 2020 if he continues to behave like himself.Trump’s appeal is limited and shrinking: Trump has a loyal base, sure, but not all of his 2016 voters remain part of it. About half of Democrats’ pickups in the House came in districts where Trump prevailed two years ago. This was a suburban uprising. Democrats took Republican seats not only around Detroit, Chicago and Minneapolis but in harder races around Oklahoma City, Dallas and Kansas City. The results showed Trump cannot build a national majority on anger and fear.Trumpism still works in chunks of the country: Trump targeted his apocalyptic immigration rhetoric at rural and working-class white voters in conservative states where there were Senate races. To Democrats’ dismay, it seemed to be effective.Indiana du ...
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