In an instance of the six-year itch phenomenon, the Democrats won a net gain of eight seats to recapture control of the United States Senate, taking back the chamber for the first time since the 1980 elections.

Democrats won the national popular vote for the House of Representatives by a margin of 7.7 percentage points, making a net gain of five seats.

After the Senate rejected the conservative Bork, Reagan instead nominated Anthony Kennedy, who became a critical swing vote on the court.

[5] Other commentators expected the Republican Party to perform well, as President Reagan had won in a landslide in his 1984 re-election and entered 1986 with historically high levels of support, as well as benefitted from a growing economy.

"[6] Political scientists who analyzed the elections found that there were considerable incumbency advantages for officeholders, and that the crop of challenger candidates was relatively weak.