WASHINGTON Health care reform activists have grown dour as signs from Capitol Hill suggest increasing chances for the passage of legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare . Faced with a once seemingly far-fetched possibility, they have begun pinning their hopes on an external event that would effectively apply the brakes to the legislative process. Tuesday presents their best chance of that.

The special election in Georgias 6th Congressional District is already one of the most hotly contested and absurdly expensive contests in congressional history. Now, those hoping to put off Obamacares demise are gearing up to use a potential win by the Democratic nominee, Jon Ossoff, as a means of spooking recalcitrant Republicans into inaction.

It could at least give them pause that there will be a bigger backlash than they even thought and that they should rethink this huge bill, is how one top health care reform advocate put it.

With Senate Republicans reportedly planning to vote on their health care bill as early as next week, opponents see few other options than to convince moderate Republicans to balk. Senate Democrats have planned various parliamentary and procedural maneuvers to slow down the legislative process. But, ultimately, there is little, if anything, they can do to stop a vote.

Already, operatives are planning a summer-long campaign to apply additional pressure on lawmakers who remain on the fence about the Republican-authored bill, which would dramatically scale back Medicaid coverage and introduce market-based reforms that could weaken protections for vulnerable health care consumers. But those efforts would come after the bill passes the Senate and goes to a conference committee with the House, which has already passed a version. By the time a bill gets to a conference committee, it has tremendous momentum toward final passage.

In general, these operatives have grown fearful that increasing noise about investigations into President Donald Trumps potential obstruction of justice and campaign ties to Russia has consigned the issue of Obamacare to second billing. Impassioned congressional town hall events that marked consideration of the House bill in the spring are drawing notably less media coverage as reporters have grown consumed by Trumps legal troubles.