Republicans are feeling mighty confident about their prospects in this fall’s mid-term elections.

There’s good reason. Joe Biden is an extremely unpopular president, and his policies are making life worse for Americans.

But there are also good reasons the GOP shouldn’t get too cocky.

Election Day is still nine months away and a lot can change between now and then.

Rising prices are driving much of the discontent.

Inflation is running at a 7.5% annual rate and the national average for a gallon of gasoline is approaching $4.

If that continues, Democrats could pay a heavy price at the polls come November. But should prices stabilize soon enough before the mid-term elections, much of the resentment will dissipate.

COVID-19 and the repressive and ineffective mandates that come with it may be less of a factor by November. Election-worried Democrats, even in deep blue states, are already dropping most of their emergency orders.

This issue, however, could still play for Republicans as Americans will be asking just what all the economic damage the mandates wrought was for.

The abortion ruling expected this summer could easily become a motivator for women and Democratic voters.

Republicans may present voters with a slate of candidates drawn from the party’s fringe — read that to mean Donald Trump supporters who refuse to move on from 2020 election fraud claims — which could cost them Independent support.

The GOP should lay off counting their chickens and take a hard look at what it will take to win should current conditions change.

It’s still a long way to November.

— Tribune News Service