Why the president’s party generally loses ground in midterms, per JSU expert

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (WBRC) - A Jacksonville State University political scientist said keeping voters’ support depends on what the winners of this week’s 2026 midterm elections do after they win.

Midterm turnout

Benjamin Gross, director of the Center for Leadership and American Principles at Jacksonville State University, said the president’s party generally loses ground in midterm elections. One reason is who shows up to vote, he said.

Some voters stay home when their presidential candidate isn’t on the ballot, Gross said. Meanwhile, the other party’s voters are motivated to make a change.

Elections as snapshots

“I think too many times, whether it was 2008 or 2016, people will look at an election and say, this changes everything,” Gross said. “I would just remind people, elections are snapshots. A movie is a series of elections over time.”

Economy and voter concerns

Gross said voters’ financial concerns helped Republicans in 2024 and Democrats this year. He said each party made the economy a focus when it was challenging the party in power.

Addressing those concerns can take time, Gross said.

“It’s going to take, as you pointed, a long-term vision that the party stays committed to rather than sort of a bad tennis game of going back and forth on topics that the American voter cares about,” Gross said.

Gross cautioned that some plans may bring short-term pain before voters see long-term benefits.

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