I’m going to try to offer to both of you some encouragement.
Let’s not forget: Lyndon Johnson was a most despised President because of Viet Nam. There were riots at the ‘68 Dem Convention in Chicago. AND YET, Hubert Humphrey, LBJ’s VEEP almost won the ‘68 election. The ONLY REASON he lost was because of the votes siphoned off by George Wallace.
Also, people despised Nixon, who resigned the Presidency over Watergate, and were madder than an old wet hen because Ford pardoned him. YET, Ford almost won over Jimmy Carter. Analyst say that had the campaign lasted one more week, Ford would have pulled it off.
Better example: Jacques Chirac was the most hated man in France, with approval ratings in the single digits. Nicolas Sarkozy just led the same party to enormous supermajorities.
What you are suggesting is the Republican candidate may lose by a surprisingly close margin, like Humphrey and Ford.
Those are good races, for comparison sake.