Democratic midterm gains are results ‘you only see maybe once in a lifetime,’ Sabato says

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Seats in the House and Senate flipped across the country in this year’s midterm elections, and UVA Center for Politics’ Larry Sabato says the election was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of event.

Democrats flipped seats in states even they didn’t think were possible.

“No one, no one in either party thought that Democrats would get into the upper 250s or 260s in the House. We talked to enough people to know that,” UVA Center for Politics’ Larry Sabato said.

People across the country watched race after race get called in favor of Democrats during this year’s midterm elections.

Sabato said one major factor contributed to the results.

“This is nothing less than a massive repudiation of Donald Trump and anyone who presents this as being anything else is not being honest,” he said.

States like Texas, South Carolina and Iowa flipped seats that had long been held by Republicans.

The last time a Democrat won a Senate seat in Kansas was in 1932.

“Did anybody think that the black Democratic nominee from Mississippi would be at least tied in the Senate race and to win South Carolina? Look, these are results that you only see maybe once in a lifetime,” Sabato said.

he added that conservatives may need to find a new prominent voice to rely on moving forward.

“Republicans are still behind the eight ball, and it’s a big eight ball named Donald Trump. He is not going to permit them to do things that will help them recover. They refused to stand up to Donald Trump on anything. And they reaped the whirlwind,” Sabato said.

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