# Gerrymandering: Why did the GOP win the Senate but not the House? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 8, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gerrymandering-why-did-the-gop-win-the-senate-but-not-the-house/824191 "2018-11-08T15:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 30
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2018, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gerrymandering-why-did-the-gop-win-the-senate-but-not-the-house/824191/30 "2018-11-09T03:42:58Z")
As seen [on this useful graphic](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Combined--Control_of_the_U.S._House_of_Representatives_-_Control_of_the_U.S._Senate.png), _ **Six years after a President is elected, the Senate tends to move against him!** _ Blue (Wilson) won WH 1912; six years later Senate changed from Blue to Red Blue (Roosevelt) won WH 1940; six years later Senate changed from Blue to Red Red (Reagan) won WH in 1980; six years later Senate changed from Red to Blue Blue (Clinton) won WH 1996; six years later Senate changed from Blue to Red Red (Bush) won WH in 2000; six years later Senate changed from Red to Blue Blue (Obama) won WH in 2008; six years later Senate changed from Blue to Red Obama won in 2012; therefore 2018 was always going to be a bad year for Democratic Senators up for re-election(\*). Six years after Trump’s 2016 election — the 2022 election — should be good for the D’s. The reason is simple: In 2012 turnout was high to vote for President Voters clicked the D Senator while they were voting anyway; some D’s got in with narrow margins; but lost 6 years later in the lower-turnout midterms. (Also shown on the graphic — or rather, _will_ be shown once it is updated — is that this next Congress will be first since Reagan years with a Red Senate and Blue House.) --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gerrymandering-why-did-the-gop-win-the-senate-but-not-the-house/824191)._