(CNN) -- A lot of people don't pay close attention to midterm elections. They are not as exciting as the presidential campaigns, and most Americans are just not interested in the ups and downs of individual members of Congress. But the last midterm that a president faces matter very much. President Obama knows more than anyone that he has much at stake in the midterm elections. If Republicans are able to regain control of the Senate while retaining their majority in the House in November, they will have two years to inflict significant damage on the administration's agenda and set the terms of debate for the 2016 election.
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Julian Zelizer: The last midterm election that a president faces matters very much
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Zelizer: If GOP gains control of Senate and retains control of House, its power increases
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He says President Obama might turn into a lame-duck president with little clout
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Zelizer: If Democrats lose the Senate in November, Obama will accomplish little
In the 1998 midterm elections, @placeholder defied historical trends and suffered losses in the House.