“Beto’s campaign has certainly catapulted him into the conversation,” said Adam Hodge, a Democratic strategist and former Democratic National Committee official. Likewise, he added, “Brown is getting a first look. Like Beto, he ran an authentic campaign that spoke directly to voters and did it in a battleground states that Democrats shouldn’t give up.”

The new momentum for O’Rourke and Brown will create new challenges for other would-be contenders who have long been seen as likely 2020 Democratic candidates…

“The race has kind of flipped on its head in a really short time,” said one Democratic donor. “All of a sudden, it looks like the frontrunners aren’t really the frontrunners anymore.”