Bingo! Any thought that we are going to elect a conservative Congress without electing the republican presidential candidate is pure fantasy. That simply doesn’t happen in a year when most voters are there to pull the lever for Hilary or Obama. We have a far better shot at the presidency than the Congress this year. And then you might hold the Congress steady without further losses.
There’s always a drop off in votes between president and every other office; many people only vote for president. Why not focus on the Senate seats and thereby also boost presidential voters? Also work to get a divided Congress - independents are much more likely to want too see a divided government even if the buy the liberal change fantasy for prez.