It would be easy for Americans hearing news from mainstream media and reading awkwardly worded polls to believe that Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation is doomed and the Republicans are set to lose big time during the midterm elections. It’s harder to see that they’re actually in a position of strength if they play their cards right.

Here are their cards:

The first accusation was held by Democrats until the last minute for purely political reasons and is a 36-year-old he-said-she-said. The second accusation is “lazy at best, slimy at worst” according to critics of the New Yorker story. With over a month left before midterm elections, there’s plenty of time to confirm Kavanaugh and move the narrative elsewhere. Last-minute fundraising can skyrocket if they use the Democrats’ derailment tactics against them properly.

It’s the fifth card, though that has the most potential bite. Their trump card (no, not that Trump) is the unwavering support of Keith Ellison and more importantly the backstabbing by Democrats against his accuser, Karen Monahan.

Democrats are all about believing Kavanaugh’s accusers but are silent at best about Ellison’s:

DNC official Keith Ellison’s ex, accusing him of domestic violence, says there’s smear campaign against her Rep. Keith Ellison’s ex-girlfriend Karen Monahan on Sunday claimed there’s been a smear campaign against her to help her husband, a top official in the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Rep. Keith Ellison’s ex-girlfriend Karen Monahan on Sunday claimed there’s been a smear campaign against her to help her husband, a top official in the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Monahan, who said he sent her threatening text messages and once screamed obscenities at her as he dragged her off a bed by her feet, wrote on Twitter: “I said this would happen early on. Keith is getting others to write commentary, sharing personal info, like being sexually abused, making false statements about who broke up, how it happened, etc. He will stop at nothing. #WhyIDidntReport victims get smeared, shamed,lied on.”

If Republicans play their fifth card properly with the other four, they can get Kavanaugh confirmed and still have a good shot at retaining full control of the House and Senate after the midterm elections. Ellison represents the type of double-standard endemic in Democratic lawmakers.

What they cannot use is an “if… then…” argument. In other words, they can’t tell Democrats that if they’re willing to believe Kavanaugh’s accuser then they must believe Ellison’s accuser. That would be falling into a trap. Democrats are fully prepared to throw Ellison on his own sword if it means retaking the House and Senate and derailing Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Instead, Republicans must attack the way Democrats handled Ellison BEFORE the Kavanaugh situation. Putting this into current context gives Democrats an out. However, Republicans can easily demonstrate how Democrats attempted to sweep the Ellison mess under the carpet when it first came out but jumped on board the Kavanaugh-is-a-sexual-deviant train as soon as the option presented itself.

Here’s how a general campaign ad might play out:

“Democrats came out screaming when Brett Kavanaugh’s accusations first emerged, but when the Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee was accused, they defended him and viciously attacked his accuser[show Monahan’s Tweets]. She had witnesses, doctor’s reports, and other evidence that the Democrats tried to quash. Her accusations were dismissed because Democrats will do anything to stand by their man [show image of Ellison screaming].”

Republicans have everything they need to confirm Kavanaugh and still win the midterms. All they need to do is play their cards right.