It’s early yet, but a new consensus is emerging that Trump is so idiosyncratic that “boring” Republicans enjoy a built-in buffer against the attacks he attracts. That’s a big switch from last month, when concern was rife that Senate Republicans facing re-election would be wiped out as the public mood in competitive states – exacerbated by Democrats exploiting the opportunity – would turn against them because of Trump. Among them, only Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., has expressly repudiated the polarizing nominee. The others, like Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, have kept their heads down, steered clear of the candidate and the convention alike, and focused on connecting with their constituents.

It’s true that this crew can’t unplug from the presidential campaign completely – as onetime off-color Trump joke machine Marco Rubio’s rather shameless endorsement of Trump has proven. The irony, as the New York Times has observed, is that “most down-ballot Republicans cannot afford to completely distance themselves from Mr. Trump. They will need his supporters in the fall, while also attracting independents and Republicans who say they will abstain from voting for either major party’s presidential nominee.” And to be sure, if they have the misfortune of winding up in the crosshairs of Trump’s truculent grassroots, they could wind up being primaried – like House Speaker Paul Ryan.

On the other hand, it’s likely that only the most controversial longtime members of Congress have much to worry about from Trump-inspired insurgents. Fringey, third-rate primary challengers lack the charismatic power and uniquely cross-cultural appeal among different types of white voters that Trump enjoys. Trump would have fallen flat without the ability to attract disgruntled Yankees and non-Yankees alike; any Trump-esque candidates running for statewide office will face geographic and demographic confines Trump does not, their ceiling lowering accordingly.