[Galactic Overlord-In-Chief]

When Reagan was elected, he couldn’t get more than 192 in the House (fewer than we have now after 2018). Why might it have been different in an alternate 1972?

In 1980, the GOP margins in the House were weighed down by the large infusion of Democrats elected in the 1974 anti-Watergate wave. Reagan wouldn't have had that problem if he ran in 1972 and was helped by an anti-Humphrey wave in 1970.

[Impy]

Yes, yes.

Boy, those 1978 midterms were sure not great, plus only 15 in the House and 2 in the Senate? Very, lame. Few could have been optimistic on 1980 based on that.