In an early indication that tonight’s expected Republican wave is much different from prior Republican waves, a Fox News exit poll has found that 54 percent of the electorate says that government “should do more” compared to just 46 percent who say that government “does too much.”
Unlike prior campaigns when they’ve been in opposition (1994, 2010, 2014), Republicans did not make this election about combating spending, the debt, or reducing the role of Washington. In some cases, Republicans actively spoke about using the government more aggressively to advance conservative ends.
In contrast, during the Tea Party wave of 2010, when reining in the federal government was a big part of the message, Pew reported on exits of voters showing that “fully 56% said government is doing too much better left to businesses and individuals, while 38% said the government should do more to solve problems.”