In the 1980 presidential debate, Ronald Reagan secured his landslide by asking the American people: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

Today, Congressional Republicans can turn the tide in a close midterm contest by posing a similar question: “Are you better off than you were two years ago?” By every standard, the answer should be yes: more economic growth, less unemployment, better border security, stronger military, higher paychecks, lower taxes across the board.

Republicans in both Houses of Congress deserve much of the credit, and this crucial question shifts attention from the competing scandal narratives and endless investigations that obsess the media. Republicans can win by moving away from polarizing personalities and emphasizing the steady progress that’s helped everyday Americans under the last two years of GOP control.