THROW THE BASTARDS OUT… WAIT, WHAT? Incumbent Reelection Rates Higher Than Average in 2016.

Looking over the down-ballot outcome, there’s one inescapable conclusion in a year that was defined by a political outsider, Donald Trump, winning the presidency: It was still a really good year to run as an incumbent in 2016, all things considered.

This election cycle, 393 of 435 House representatives, 29 of 34 senators, and five of 12 governors sought reelection (several of the governors were prohibited from seeking another term). Of those, 380 of 393 House members (97%), 27 of 29 senators (93%), and four of five governors (80%) won another term. These members of Congress and governors not only won renomination, but also won in November.

Those reelection rates are all a little bit better than the already impressive post-World War II averages.

One way to read this is that after throwing more than 900 Democrats out of office since 2010, the last place Americans really needed to clean up was the Oval Office.

But setting party aside, longterm incumbency has been a cancer on our body politic.