Election Day 2018 went more or less as expected, Democrats gained control of the House, while Republicans maintained, and even strengthened, their majority in the Senate. Divided control of Capitol Hill will surely lead to increased gridlock and fighting over the next two years, but those who have been in Congress for more than a couple of terms have grown used to fiery partisanship that has evolved over the last 10 years.

The Republicans gained about two seats in the senate, making their majority slightly stronger, but not by a lot. Prior to the election, they had a slight majority and a vote from Vice President Mike Pence that would tip the scales in their favor if anyone ever voted out of line. With these additions they may have the luxury of relying less on tiebreakers, but in the grand scheme of things, they gained very little.

Pre-Election Day polls largely predicted that the House would flip into the Democrats favor, and it most certainly did. They now have a healthy majority after flipping more than 25 seats that were previously in GOP control. This gives them some control in the congress and the government at large, which they have been without since the 2016 election.

A majority in the House brings with it great oversight power which may come to be a huge thorn in the Trump administration’s side. They can now investigate the President’s finances, Russian meddling in the elections, and other nefarious acts that may have gone unchecked for years now. As unwise as it would be to do immediately and without good reason, they also gained the power to pursue the impeachment of President Trump.

Watching a Republican controlled legislative, executive, and judicial branch came to feel comically evil at points. Examples include the constant attacks on the media, opting out of the Paris Climate Accord, starting trade wars with foreign nations, or the recent firing of Jeff Sessions, just to name a few. Seeing the opposing party gain a little power should hopefully restore some balance in congress and tame President Trump a bit more.