The new cable news talking point: This isn't a 'blue wave'
- Democrats were hoping for a "blue wave" in the 2018 midterm elections with large pick-ups in the House.
- Early results show that Democrats are not picking up stretch seats, and other House races remain competitive.
- Pundits are starting to predict that the "blue wave" is not materializing.
Democrats were hopeful that a "blue wave," an overwhelming win to take control of the House and possibly the Senate, would wash over the US during Tuesday's midterm elections.
But with Democrats losing some stretch seats, like Kentucky's 6th congressional district, and fighting to hold on in other toss-up elections in Florida and elsewhere, pundits began to see signs Tuesday night that the "blue wave" may not materialize.
James Carville, a Democratic strategist and former top campaign aide to President Bill Clinton, said on MSNBC that the blue wave was "dissipating."
"Tonight, there was some hope that the Democrats would have a wave election," Carville said. "It's not going to be a wave election."
But Carville was not without hope, saying it "could still be a good election" for the party.
Democrats were pushing into what would typically be strong Republican seats, counting on historical trends and voter enthusiasm to help lead the party to a large electoral victory.
Similarly, Bloomberg View columnist Al Hunt said that the early results from the night "doesn't look like a blue wave."
And CNN's Jake Tapper downplayed the possibility of a big night for Democrats during the network's broadcast.
"When you look at what's going on here tonight, this is not a blue wave," Tapper said. "This is not a wave that is knocking out all sorts of Republican incumbents."
At NBC News, Chuck Todd similarly said there was "not a blue wave" hitting the US on Tuesday.