With the recent announcement that Paul Ryan will not run for re-election in November, the blue wave argument that predicts Democrats will regain the majority in both the Senate and House may have gotten a little stronger. If the blue wave predictions do come true, the 2020 presidential race would be the opportune time for Bernie Sanders to make a move for the world’s toughest job.

In 2016, had Sanders beaten the odds and won the presidency, he would’ve run into a Republican led Congress who probably would’ve obstructed just about everything Sanders ran on. We saw this happen to Obama and there’s no reason to suggest this wouldn’t have happened to Sanders. Perhaps Sanders is waiting to make a decision on running for president until after the 2018 midterms, to see if Congress will have a Democratic advantage come 2020. Sanders has acknowledged that President Obama faced an “unprecedented level of obstructionism” from the Republicans and perhaps is weighing the same issue against his decision to run for president.

However, Paul Ryan’s recent decision to not run for re-election is just another positive indicator added to the list of why Bernie Sanders would be a successful 2020 presidential candidate. There is a realistic chance Ryan’s seat could be taken by Berniecrat Randy Bryce, who has already hauled in $4.75 million and compounds to the theory of the blue wave taking hold. Signs like this add to the list of pros of why Sanders would have a much better go at the presidency in 2020. If Sanders were to run, he wouldn’t be starting as an unknown, polling at 3 percent much like he was in 2015. He would start his 2020 campaign with kitchen-table name recognition and having the benefit of being the most popular politician in America. Meanwhile, millennials, one of Sanders largest demographic, will have grown past baby boomers to be the largest voter-eligible group in 2020. All these signs paint a much rosier picture for Sanders in 2020, compared to the uphill climb he faced in the 2016 Democratic Primaries.

Meanwhile, Sanders has been traveling all over the country and more specifically to Midwestern states such as Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan which all went to Trump in 2016. These will be vital states that the Democrats will need to win if they want to win the presidency come 2020. Since 2016, Sanders has also been hosting large live-stream events, drawing over 1 million live viewers to put the focus on issues such as ‘Medicare for All’. Sanders has also accumulated a massive social media following, which helps get the word out for events like these.

Finally, if history means anything, Bernie Sanders electoral past suggests he does not give up easily and only run once for a position. He’s run for mayor four times, Governor three times, House nine times, and Senate four times (potentially 5). Sanders was quoted saying “Persistence is extremely important. Yeah, you run and you lose. So what?”

One could argue that Sanders would have a lot going for him in a 2020 presidential run, however, this could be reliant on a midterm blue wave occurring. But as of right now, events such as Paul Ryan deciding to not run for re-election might be an indicator that things could be trending towards the Democrats in 2018 and 2020.