CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After three straight waves, the 2012 election cycle looks likely to end in a wash.

Just nine weeks before Election Day, strategists in both parties say the current atmospherics don’t tip the scale toward either Democrats or Republicans. Signs of a wave are usually visible by now, and the absence of one puts greater importance on the quality of individual candidates and campaigns, especially in House races.

“It means you have to run a real campaign for a change,” Republican media consultant Curt Anderson said. “In ’06 and ’08, we did some great ads and great work and none of it mattered because the Democrats just put up an ad and said, ‘Bush sucks, he’s with Bush.'”

The Democratic National Convention kicks off today with candidates across the country running in a far more neutral environment than in the past three election cycles, when one party had a clear advantage.

But it’s still early September, so political winds can shift because of game-changing events – such as the fall of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. Still, consultants have told their clients not to expect to ride a wave into Congress this year.