Republicans have an opportunity to maintain control of Congress next year, but only if they remain vigilant and ignore the "experts."

Since post-World War II the party holding the White House generally takes a hit in midterm elections, particularly in the House of Representatives.

This is one of the most consistent patterns in modern U.S. political history.

The most recent examples are:

• 2010 (Obama): Democrats lost 63 House seats.
• 2018 (Trump): Republicans lost 40 House seats.
• 2022 (Biden): Democrats lost nine House seats.

Accordingly, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., predicted early last month that “Democrats will take control of the House in November.”

As we get closer to the Nov. 3 midterms, Democrats, including Jeffries, are stepping up threats to weaponize the government against the Trump administration when they regain power.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr recently suggested that the administration would closely review license renewals for broadcasters that perpetuate "fake news," because they "must operate in the public interest."

The idea that broadcasters might be held to a standard that promotes truth and accuracy triggered Jeffries, and he hinted at what would happen once Democrats get back into power.

"Brendan Carr is a corrupt political hack and fake chair of the FCC," he said. "This guy (and the entities he promotes) will find himself on the wrong side of a congressional investigation in short order."

We should expect even more retaliation against the Trump administration if Democrats regain control, and although the general rule that the president's party loses control of Congress in the midterms still stands, there are exceptions.

Recent key exceptions include:

• 1998 (under Bill Clinton): Democrats gained five House seats amid a strong economy and backlash against Republican impeachment efforts against Clinton.
• 2002 (under George W. Bush): Republicans gained eight House seats and one Senate seat in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, when Bush's approval was exceptionally high.

Note that these are rare events that are tied to special circumstances.

The "special circumstances" in Trump's case are that when he takes the 80% side on an 80/20 issue, Democrats take the 20% side — every single time.

• When Trump says he can't support biological males in female sports, bathrooms, and shower rooms, Democrats cry "trans rights are human rights!"
• When Trump seals the U.S.-Mexican border to cut off illegal immigration, Democrats cry "we’re a nation of immigrants!"
• When Trump says a new voter must prove his citizenship at registration, Democrats cry, "No one knows how to get a birth certificate!" and "Jim Crow 2.0!"
• When Trump says voters must present photo ID before casting a ballot, Democrats cry, "Minorities don't know how to get photo ID" and "Jim Crow 2.0!"

And on and on it goes, but that doesn't mean it's a done deal.

Democrats still have one last trick up their sleeve — cheating — and we've seen several examples of cheating just within the last couple of days.

Last November California voters went to the polls to vote on Proposition 50 — a redistricting (gerrymandering) scheme that would heavily favor Democrats.

In Riverside County, 611,428 ballots were actually cast in the special election. However, election officials certified 657,322 votes — an additional 45,896 votes, 7.5% more.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is now accusing Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta of trying to intimidate his tram and derail his department's investigation into the discrepancy.

That’s one county in the state — what about all the other counties?

Meanwhile, in Georgia the FBI is trying to get to the bottom of what happened in the 2020 presidential election.

The FBI raided the Fulton County Elections Hub on Jan. 29 and left with ballots, tabulator tapes, and ballot images — 656 boxes worth.

However, county officials claimed there were over 750 boxes of 2020 election materials.

Georgia State Election Board Vice Chair Janice Johnston confirmed that more than 370,000 ballot images from the original Nov. 3, 2020, count are missing.

Again, one county in one state.

Political talk radio host and Newsmax columnist Jeff Crouere predicted as far back as last August that the midterms would be another loss for Democrats.

While that's true, we have to add a caveat that the GOP can't take anything for granted.

When CNN reports that Democrats are once again on the losing side of yet another issue (as they often do), Republicans still have to do the hard work — fundraising, door-to-door canvassing, campaign ads, fliers, rallies, and debates.

And above all, they have to have an army of poll watchers at each polling station, and if they’re lawyers, so much the better.

We can do this. Let’s get it done and make America great again . . . again.

Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He's also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read more Michael Dorstewitz Insider articles — Click Here Now.