The Kavanaugh fiasco crystallized the stakes for Tennessee Republicans, reminding them while they may like Bredesen, a vote for the Democrat is a vote to make Schumer majority leader. A Democratic takeover would be a game-changer, giving Schumer the power to block any more Trump Supreme Court nominees and put a halt to the president’s transformation of the federal appeals courts. In the wake of the Kavanaugh fiasco, 58 percent of Tennessee voters say they want Republicans running the Senate. So, Democrats may have blown a chance to pick up a seat in a deep-red state thanks to the blowback over their efforts to destroy Kavanaugh. As Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) so poignantly told Senate Democrats at the Kavanaugh hearing, “Boy, y’all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham.” It appears that the American people have.

With Tennessee slipping out of their grasp, the Democrats’ chances of a Senate takeover are slipping as well. Among vulnerable Democrats, it looks as if Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) is a goner. After the Kavanaugh hearings, her Republican opponent’s lead expanded from four to 12 points. If she goes down, Democrats will need to pick up three GOP-held seats to win the majority. That does not appear to be happening, as races have shifted toward Republicans in Texas, Nevada and Arizona — the states other than Tennessee where Democrats have pinned their hopes for flipping GOP-held seats.