There are many forecasts for the current Midterms. In the following table, three forecasts based on single variables and 10 forecasts from forecasters are presented.
Table 1: List of Forecasts of 2018 US Midterms, House of Representatives, by number of seats
Source | Type | Democrats | Republicans | Majority |
538.com (1) | Forecaster | 234 | 201 | D + 16 |
Generic National Poll (3) | Single Variable | 233 | 202 | D + 15 |
Optimus (2) | Forecaster | 232 | 203 | D + 14 |
Historical Norm (3) | Single Variable | 230 | 205 | D + 12 |
President Approval Rating (3) | Single Variable | 230 | 205 | D + 12 |
Cook Political Report (2) | Forecaster | 229 | 206 | D + 11 |
CNN | Forecaster | 226 | 209 | D + 8 |
Inside Elections (2) | Forecaster | 224 | 211 | D + 6 |
Crosstabs (2) | Forecaster | 223 | 212 | D + 5 |
Sabato’s Crystal Ball (2) | Forecaster | 223 | 212 | D + 5 |
Politico (2) | Forecaster | 222 | 213 | D + 4 |
Daily Kos (2) | Forecaster | 220 | 215 | D + 2 |
Coogan / ZettaCap (4) | Forecaster | 214 | 221 | R + 3 |
- For 538.com, the Average of the distribution of forecasts was used for the ‘Classic’ forecast method.
- For these forecasters, all forecasts even slightly leaning towards a party was considered a positive forecast for that party. Toss-ups were distributed pro-rata between the parties.
- These single variables were used to forecast current election results based on patterns from previous elections.
- Using ZettaCap data and Social Media Influence (SMI), these forecasts are the only ones presented here based exclusively on social media data.
For all the discussion of a Red or Blue Wave, this election looks very tight. The most bullish forecast for Democrats is that from 538.com, which would produce a 16 seat Democratic majority. By historical standards, such a result would not be extraordinary. In fact, it would land more or less in-line with an average performance of a first-term president during his first Midterms. The most Democratic friendly forecast by no means qualifies as a Blue Wave.
The most bullish forecast for Republicans is that from ZettaCap, which would produce a slight 3 seat majority for Republicans. This again does not qualify as a wave of any sort, though by historical standards the president’s party maintaining power of the House and losing significantly less seats than the average would in effect be a major victory.