Actually, in some respects the election results were better than could have been hoped for with respect to the GOP. That is not the same as saying they overperformed.

First, if as expected the GOP wins the House, they can begin to pass bills, that Biden will most likely veto. But those vetoes will serve to show the ideological differences between both parties providing clarity between what candidates say and how they act when they have to vote on a bill.

The GOP was never going to get a "veto proof" majority.

If the GOP wins the Senate, it puts more pressure on Biden to engage in bipartisanship or be viewed as an obstacle to the will of the people. If The GOP loses the Senate, the Dems can avoid bringing bills up for a vote, but that won't play well in 2024, when a disproportionate number of Democrat held Senate seats will be up election.

Trump's standing took a major dent in the election, not his policies. This clears the way for someone with a similar policy stance like DeSantis who won Florida by a greater margin than Newsome won California, to win the nomination. If he does, it will likely be game over for Democrats for eight years unless an economic miracle happens in the next two years.

Biden cemented his chances of getting his party's nomination to run again in 2024 if he is still walking. Hard to think this is going to go over well against a younger opponent especially if he can't get anything done over the next two years.

Most importantly, the Republicans know which groups there messaging failed to reach and which groups they probably never will. I think it will be easier for Republicans to reach out to a few key demographic groups in swing states than Democrats, but time will tell.