A string of overachieving election results this year by Democrats is reigniting their hopes of a Senate takeover, or at least making a dent in the GOP’s majority, as Republicans brush off the contests as overhyped.

The latest of those races includes Tennessee’s special election, where a loss by Democrats in a Trump-dominated territory still made Republicans sweat down the stretch. Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn Tuesday night by less than half of the president’s 22-point margin in 2024 in the district vacated by former GOP Rep. Mark Green.