GOP depends on Trump's polarizing approach to gain in Senate, but it costs them the House
WASHINGTON - Throughout his 22 months in office, President Donald Trump has focused intensely on a single political priority - maintaining the support of his base, even at the risk of alienating millions of other voters.
Tuesday night's election proved both the wisdom and the risk of that approach.
In a deeply divided country, Trump's efforts to stoke his supporters' enthusiasm helped his party expand its margin in the Senate. But his heated attacks on opponents and denunciations of immigrants also helped Democrats retake control of the House and make major gains in races for governor.
White House aides were quick to pronounce the outcome a victory for the president. But if it was, it came with ominous overtones for his next big political challenge, in 2020.
Democrats won significant victories statewide in each of the big mid-Atlantic and Midwestern industrial states where Trump secured his upset victory two years
