In 2018 the economy was doing extremely well. Gas was cheap, inflation was low, wages were up and unemployment was near an all-time low. Black unemployment hit the lowest level ever recorded. For the first time in eleven years, the poverty rate was significantly lower than before the Great Recession. And yet... Democrats got 25 million more votes during the 2018 midterms than during the 2014 midterms. 25 million more Democrat votes, even though Republicans had the highest midterm turnout in history. The results were a blue wave, with Democrats turning the same number of House seats as they just did in 2026. Democrats even flipped more Governorships in 2018 than in 2026. Republicans were able to win back some red state Senate seats in 2018, but those midterms were considered a blue wave. Perhaps there is more at play than the price of gas.