House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the Republican Party believes it has a “good shot” at maintaining a majority in the House, although historically the executive branch’s party tends to perform poorly in congressional races during midterm elections.
“Frankly, our members feel pretty good, because they have a really good message,” Ryan said in an interview Monday with Fox News’ Bret Baier. “Look at what we’ve been able to achieve in Congress with the president over the last two years.”
Ryan pointed to low unemployment rate, increased wages, and a strong economy as reasons why the GOP will succeed.
[Opinion: Of course Trump is talking about the economy. Who says he’s not?]
“Because of all of this, our candidates feel like they have a great message, and the alternative is the chaos and dysfunction in Washington that the Democrats are basically promising if they get control of Congress,” Ryan said. “So, we really feel like we’ve got a good shot at keeping our majority because our record is so good and the contrast is so strong.”
The executive branch’s party has, on average, lost 25 House seats in every midterm election since 1946, according to Gallup. There are some exceptions. For example, former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush saw their party pick up several House seats in the 1998 and 2002 midterm elections.
Most forecasters predict a really good night for Democrats on Tuesday. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report, for instance, expects the GOP to lose dozens of seats and, therefore, control of the House.
Democrats must gain at least 23 seats to have a majority in the House.
[Related: The 10 key races to watch: How to know if you’re witnessing a blue wave]
