According to a statistical method that ranks candidates by ideology, Harry Enten notes New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) “simply doesn’t have that liberal allure” that Hillary Clinton or other popular Democrats mentioned as possible presidential candidates in 2016.

“If these numbers are to believed, the possible 2016 roster of candidates will position Cuomo and Warner as ideologically conservative Democrats, Biden and O’Malley as moderate Democrats, Clinton, Patrick, and Schweitzer as liberal Democrats, and Warren as a very liberal Democrat.”

Marc Ambinder gives five reasons why the conventional wisdom on Hillary Clinton might be wrong.

“If I had to bet, I’d bet that she decides to run, if only because she
will feel that destiny and circumstance have put her in the right place
at the right time. She may feel that she owes it to young women and
those who supported her to finish the marathon of American politics. But
she might well decide that her legacy is secure, her popularity is
intact, her financial prospects are bright, and her future lies with
advocacy from the outside and grand-mothering.”

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) tells the Weekly Standard that he is “open” to another presidential bid in 2016.

Said Santorum: “I think there’s a fight right now as to what the soul of the Republican party’s going to be and the conservative movement, and we have something to say about that. I think from our battle, we’re not going to leave the field.”

The Week: “The GOP has a long tradition of embracing, and eventually rewarding, its runners-up in the party’s presidential primary.”

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) met with a group of his former staffers at a Washington, D.C. hotel, National Review reports.

“Bush, a potential 2016 presidential contender, spent an hour in the hotel’s Cannon room, reminiscing and entertaining questions about his political future… Neil Newhouse, Mitt Romney’s campaign pollster, was at the meeting, as were several veteran Florida operatives.”

Joe Conason: “Jeb’s business dealings may well prove an insurmountable obstacle to a
national candidacy, just as Romney’s business career became excess
baggage for his presidential campaign. Known today only as another Bush
brother, Jeb must be introduced to American voters. And among the first
things they are likely to learn about him is the string of borderline
business deals that built his original fortune in Florida real estate,
which began three decades ago.”

The Washington Post notes that in recent weeks, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “has reiterated that she will not stay on for President Obama’s second term, unleashing fresh waves of speculation about her plans.”

“There is hypothesizing that she is merely entering a hibernation period before a 2016 presidential bid. There is talk that she will start her own women’s rights initiative. There is the prospect, too, that this might really be it for one of the most iconic figures in American political history.”

“What is clear is that despite lingering questions about Benghazi, Clinton is more beloved than at any point in her long and at times controversial career, commanding soaring approval ratings, a vast fundraising machine and supporters who gush more than ever that she should run for president again.”

The Week: What’s next for Hillary Clinton?

New York Times: “Mr. Bush is said by friends to be weighing financial and family considerations — between so many years in office and the recession his wealth took a dip, they said, and he has been working hard to restore it — as well as the complicated place within the Republican Party of the Bush brand.”

“After Mitt Romney’s defeat by a Democratic coalition built around overwhelming support from Hispanics and other fast-growing demographic groups, many Republicans are looking for a candidate who can help make the party more inclusive without ceding conservative principles — and no one is the subject of more speculation at this point than Mr. Bush.”

“To his supporters, Mr. Bush is the man for the moment. His wife, Columba, was born and raised in Mexico. He speaks Spanish and favors overhauling the immigration system in a way that would provide a route to citizenship for people already in the country illegally but otherwise law-abiding.”

Mark Halperin notes Democrats are quickly trying to shape the rapidly forming 2016 Republican presidential field.

“There’s one area where Democrats are really far ahead of Republicans right now. Science and technology, no. It’s doing this thing that Democrats failed to do in 2000, to stop George W. Bush, which is really, really early on using the left-wing Freak Show to define anyone who’s thinking of running for President, as quickly as possible, in negative terms on Twitter, on cable, on the Internet. They’re all over this Rubio thing because they want to control his image in a negative way and they did it this cycle too. They went after Romney early, it really hurt him. And they’re doing it now. And, you know, as a matter of just pure politics, it’s very effective because Rubio’s not full-time thinking about running for president. He’s out there dabbling but people on the Left will just be defining anyone who looks like they might be strong in four years.”

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) tells the Wall Street Journal he wants to do away with the Ames Straw Poll.

Said Branstad: “I think the straw poll has outlived its usefulness. It has been a great fundraiser for the party but I think its days are over.”

Iowa Republican: “It’s easy to understand why Iowa’s party bosses are quick to disagree with Branstad. The event is a huge moneymaker, creates a ton of media attention for Iowa and the caucuses, and forces candidates to start organizing the state early on in the process. The problem is that the Straw Poll has become a distraction for party staff because they spend more time and money organizing for a fundraiser than they do planning the caucuses.”

Politico: “Tired of presidential politics? Get over it: Upwards of 15 prominent Republicans are privately contemplating 2016 campaigns for the presidency — and the most serious and ambitious of the bunch are already plunging in, some quite publicly.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tells ABC News that he is interested in a potential run for president in 2016.

“While Paul is quick to add that he isn’t ready to make a decision about a presidential bid yet, he is not hesitant to say that the Republican Party needs a new message,” including on immigration, defense spending and marijuana.

Said Paul: “I think we have to go a different direction because we’re just not winning and we have to think about some different ideas.”

After watching Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) fell into the trap laid nicely by a reporter asking him about the age of the Earth, Marc Ambinder notes the answer is not a “mystery” as Rubio claimed. The Earth is “about 4.5 billion years old, give or take a few million.”

Nonetheless, “there’s a way for Christian conservatives who believe in the literal (or proximately literal) truth of the Bible to answer the question without denying science. Denying science is not just a position; it is fundamentally a denial of modernity, which is why it is so, well, stupid, to the ears of elites, and even to the ears of folks who just know that geology isn’t a just-so story.”

Matt Lewis: This was a problem Rubio could have easily avoided.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) declined to tell GQ magazine how old he thought the earth was, saying it’s “one of those great mysteries.”

Said Rubio: “I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that. At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says. Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that. It’s one of the great mysteries.”

Mike Allen: “The Obama campaign continues to refine, update and expand its vast database, working the muscle to increase its value for 2014 and 2016. The organization wants to avoid a post-2008 lull, when Obama’s high command was so focused on building a government and staving off a depression that some in the grassroots network felt neglected. This time, supporters are already being asked if they are interested in running for office, and “how many hours per week” they would be willing “to volunteer in your community as part of an Obama organization.”

As Republican governors gathered for their national meeting, the New York Times reports “the party is moving forward without a clear national leader. But Republicans have a deep reservoir of strength in their roster of 30 governors, several of whom are planting seeds for a potential presidential bid.”

“It is far too early for a shortlist of prospective candidates in the 2016 campaign — the election, after all, is 1,454 days away — but the early aspirations were on display here.”

Washington Post: “Some of them are considered to be among the Republicans’ brightest prospects for the 2016 presidential election — a topic that was much discussed outside the formal sessions of the meeting.”

Buffalo News: “We’ve barely finished a bruising, expensive campaign for president, but it’s not too early to be thinking about who would make an excellent candidate for the presidency in 2016 – particularly if there is a conspicuously capable individual already on the political scene. There is such a candidate, and it should surprise no one that her name is Hillary Clinton.”

The latest National Journal Political Insiders Poll finds Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on who might be the strongest Republican to run for president in 2016, but both groups look first to Florida.

GOP insiders: Marco Rubio 40%, Jeb Bush 27%, Paul Ryan 9%, Rick Santorum 9%, Chris Christie 8%

Democratic insiders: Jeb Bush 47%, Chris Christie 28%, Marco Rubio 13%

“There’s plenty of time to think about 2016. We’ve got to get this economy working. If three years from now the economy is not working, it’s not going to be worth doing much. This is all about making Barack an incredibly successful second-term president. That’s my focus.”

— Vice President Joe Biden, quoted by the Wilmington News Journal, on whether he’ll run for president in 2016.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Marie Claire magazine in a wide-ranging interview that she will not run for president in 2016.

Said Clinton: “I have been on this high wire of national and international politics and leadership for 20 years. It has been an absolutely extraordinary personal honor and experience. But I really want to just have my own time back. I want to just be my own person.”