wave election

American  

[weyv i-lek-shuhn] / ˈweɪv ɪˌlɛk ʃən /

noun

Politics.

1. an election in which one party makes significant gains in Congress, at the state level, or in a parliament.

   a wave election that saw Republicans win control of the House and flip seven Senate seats.

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Etymology

Origin of wave election

First recorded in 2010–15

Example Sentences

Mr. Brown beat back a Trump-inspired challenger in 2018, notching a 7-point win in what turned out to be a wave election for Democrats.

From Washington Times

“In a narrow election the postmortem is a bunch of woulda, shoulda, coulda. In a wave election, the postmortem is a bunch of ’welp,’” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Each wave election features a late-night upset that just seems like a gratuitous insult to the drunk, depressed, and already-losing side.

From Slate

None of that surprises Simon Rosenberg, the founder of New Democrat Network who helped propel Democratic candidates in the wave election of 2018.

From New York Times

Mr. Cox, of Fresno, defeated incumbent Republican David Valadao in California’s 21st congressional district as a part of the Democratic wave election in the 2018 midterms.

From Washington Times