When voters are deeply dissatisfied with the party in power, the wave of public protest that rolls across America’s ballot boxes is like a hurricane, washing away everything in its path. This metaphor is a handy way to look at an election when there is a nationwide impulse to send Washington a message that overpowers individual candidates and local issues.

Ron Faucheux is president of Clarus Research Group, a nonpartisan polling firm in Washington, D.C. He’s authored or edited seven books on politics and teaches at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute.