What a difference a week makes. Before Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, it looked like a lose-lose situation for Republicans: Abandon Kavanaugh and depress the base ahead of the midterm elections; attack Ford and reap the whirlwind with women come November.

Now it is possible the battle over Kavanaugh could rally apathetic Republican voters, especially in the red states that will decide which party controls the Senate. It has reminded conservatives that whatever their views of President Trump, they are unlikely to be treated fairly by Democrats or a hostile media.