ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the 2016 congressional elections in a broad context by describing the issues and concerns voters considered paramount and the effects of the presidential campaign on the national political conversation. It then turns to the impact on the candidacy decisions of those who ran for the House and Senate and the responses of the Washington elites and other donors who participated in campaign financing. It discusses the strategies the candidates used to appeal to voters and an analysis of the primary and general election outcomes. The balancing act for candidates dealing with Trump at the top of the ticket was especially challenging in Senate races where the presidential campaign loomed larger. Relying on evidence from the congressional races, the chapter concludes that 2016 was a tale of two elections, particularly with respect to women and outsider candidates.
