ANALYSIS: Republican strategists say Democrats virtually certain to win House in 2018

— -- Republican strategists have turned decidedly pessimistic about their prospects for the 2018 midterm elections.

Prominent Republicans are now saying privately that Democrats are virtually certain to win control of the House of Representatives.

As one senior Republican on Capitol Hill told ABC News, “If the election were held today, the House would be gone. Fortunately, the election is not today.”

Another prominent Republican strategist working on the midterm elections went further, telling ABC News point-blank that Republicans will lose the House and that this prospect unlikely to change.

“The only question is whether Democrats win narrowly by picking up 25 seats or whether it is a blowout of more than 35 seats,” the strategist told me.

Allies of President Donald Trump are convinced the president will quickly face impeachment hearings if Democrats take control of the House.

One Republican close to Trump predicted that not only will there be impeachment hearings but that the prospects for the president would be grim.

“Consider what happened with Bill Clinton,” the Trump ally said. “Clinton was disciplined; he had a strategy and still he was impeached.”