"The midterm history is pretty stark in that the president's party usually loses ground in the midterms and it is usually a question of how much ground they lose," UVA analyst Kyle Kondik said. "That is particularly true when a president is unpopular, as this president is." Kondik notes that in the 29 congressional midterm elections held since 1900, the president's party has lost House seats in all but three — 1934, 1998 and 2002.