Turnout is more important than people on this forum think. 2018 was a blue wave because the Deplorables didn't turn out. The Georgia runoffs were blue because the deplorable didn't turn out.
The reason Trump improved in rural OH/IA is turnout. Trump didn't win new voters in rural OH/IA by a larger margin than he did in 2016, but he won new voters by a larger margin than Romney did in 2012.
No, 2018 was a blue wave because of midterm dynamics.
On the one hand the voters of the opposition party are fired up while the voters of the party which holds the White House are more complacent, between them the few swing voters are disappointed and want some check and balance. The idea that dem voters are going to vote in drove in every future election is absurd, dems are not immune to midterms dynamics, see 2010/2014.
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