The combination of a well-funded candidate with good name recognition and a blue wave building statewide has Democrats feeling optimistic about their chances of stealing House Speaker Paul Ryan’s district in November, now that he’s off the ballot.

The fact that Ryan’s likely opponent would have been Randy Bryce, who’s raised serious money and built a national brand since announcing his candidacy last summer, puts Democrats in a good position — at least on paper. In one morning, Bryce went from being a candidate with the longest of long shots to a legitimate contender.