To play devil’s advocate: One could argue that control of the Senate in 2019 and 2020 isn’t all that high-stakes. Because there are so few Republican-held seats up for election next year in that chamber, winning control of the Senate is a tougher proposition for Democrats than is taking the House. So, if Democrats somehow win the Senate, they’ll probably already have won the House — and will already be able to block President Trump and Republicans from passing key legislation.

Another silver lining for Republicans is that Jones — looking to win re-election in Alabama — might vote with the GOP on some issues. He could behave similarly to West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, for instance, who has taken Trump’s position on 54 percent of roll-call votes so far.

But that would be a dangerous game for Republicans.