The Reich Wing Long Game.
The Reich saw the handwriting on the wall decades about the changing demographics in the country. That is exactly why their strategy was 3 fold: gerrymander everything, seize control of the courts by any means necessary, and eliminate the Voting Rights Act.
Given that strategy 2016 and 2010 presented the followers of Agolf Twitler an unexpected challenge and an opportunity.
The challenge was the massive voter turn out by the Dems that swamped their voter suppression efforts. This, combined with former President Obama's election, scared the Klan pointy hats right off their blockheads.
The opportunity was recognizing the Chump's "election" in 2016 was not just a one-off opportunity. It was their recognition that Chump, aided the RW media, created such a distortion of abject reality that Chumpists could basically do or say anything without consequence from their cultists.
They could even get away with attacking Congress and essentially tell their followers nothing to see here.