Republicans saw the Kavanaugh fight as an electoral lifeline. It wasn't.

In the weeks before the 2018 midterms and right afterward, Republicans were arguing that the contentious, narrow confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh had finally awoken the Republican base, giving the party a shot of adrenaline before the election. And Republicans did unseat a handful of Democratic senators who had voted against Kavanaugh, in states like Missouri, North Dakota, and Indiana, while the lone Democrat who voted for Kavanaugh, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), won re-elect...