Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: Clinton is a unique American political figure, having successfully transitioned from an at-times unpopular first lady to New York Senator to widely popular secretary of state. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York would be a formidable figure if Clinton doesn't run.
– And so it begins: Speculation about Election 2016 is already running rampant, mere hours after President Obama was re-elected. Some of the frontrunners for a presidential run next time around, courtesy of ABC News and US News & World Report: Hillary Clinton: Not surprisingly, she's at the forefront of many minds right now ("Hillary2016" was trending on Twitter early today, the Hill notes), and is widely considered the No. 1 Democrat contender. Of course, she also keeps insisting she won't run. Joe Biden: The world took notice when he said yesterday that he'd probably vote for himself again someday—but he later joked that he just meant he'd be running for county councilman in the future. Andrew Cuomo: The New York governor has access to lots of money, and his liberal stance on social issues combined with a more fiscally conservative stance could make him a formidable contender. But don't expect him to run if Hillary does; he served under Bill Clinton and is loyal to the family. Other possible Democrats: Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Paul Ryan: He fared well as Romney's running mate and got himself re-elected to boot, so clearly he's a top contender. Marco Rubio: The charismatic Florida senator could help the GOP increase its appeal to Latino voters. Chris Christie: His tough talk has made him quite popular, and he's seen as more of a bipartisan figure now that he's praised the federal response to Hurricane Sandy. Other possible Republicans: Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, plus pretty much anyone who ran in the primary this time around. But in the International Herald Tribune, Harvey Morris has just one piece of advice: "Take a breath, America! Give yourselves time to recover from what seemed the longest and certainly was the most expensive campaign in US political history before starting on the next one."