Win or lose in the fall elections, President Obama will be off the 2016 ballot and many Democrats are already considering a shot at the White House. Topping the list, say several Democratic insiders: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, among the nation’s most popular governors for his budget toughness and Clintonesque charisma.

“I don’t know of anybody who tops him right now. We have some senators and a couple of governors, but he’s the talk,” says a Democratic official. While he has a liberal pedigree and was a Clinton Cabinet member, Cuomo has governed conservatively on economic issues, slashing the state budget and threatening to fire 10,000 workers if they refused $450 million in concessions.