The Republican wave that wasn't could dim Trump's White House hopes

The 2022 midterm vote in the United States was a story of great expectations.

Given the public's sour mood over the direction of the country and with inflation rampant, Republicans had high hopes of seizing control of the U.S. Congress from Democrats, perhaps grabbing dozens of seats in a so-called "red wave" in the House of Representatives in the process.

That didn't happen, and Republicans are still trying to understand why. They did win a majority in the House, albeit by a razor-thin margin. The prize of the Senate, however, was...