The Senate majority leader holds most of the cards right now, and he’s keeping them close to the vest …

… He remains nervous that vulnerable GOP incumbents could get accused of being soft on crime. One of his recurring nightmares is Willie Horton-style ads being run against his members. And he is always loath to highlight divisions among Republicans. Sens. Ted Cruz (Tex.) and Tom Cotton (Ark.), for instance, are outspoken critics of this effort.

On the other hand, with Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, passing a marquee bill could give vulnerable Republicans something to run on, besides merely blocking Barack Obama’s agenda. And the growing number of Republicans who support the revised bill could tip the balance.