Grimes winning is bad on multiple levels. It would also be the BIG story coming out of the election, sucking up the media oxygen and undercutting any GOP gains (or even a Senate takeover).
And it would also undercut the Conservative agenda by allowing Dems to stand their ground on the notion that the election was “complex” and had no meaning. I’ve seen Libs trot the danger McConnells in along these lines already, completely unwilling to acknowlege that he’s in trouble because his Conservative base is disgusted with him and is walking away.
You are right about that.
A Grimes win in the general against McConnell would allow Democrats to say that the mid-term election was not a referendum on Obama, but that it was a rejection of the Tea Party.
A Grimes win against Bevin would be a different story. That story would be about fueling the GOP feud between establishment and the righ-wing conservatives, and about the Tea Party not being "electable" in an election.
-PJ