As Republicans consider the party’s future and how to confront the demographic shifts made plain by Tuesday’s election, Florida Senator Marco Rubio‘s name has emerged as perhaps the 2016 candidate of GOP destiny (although, I would also like to just throw this out there, hem hem).

Rubio maintained all along that he had no desire to become Mitt Romney’s running mate, and doesn’t appear to have ever made it to the short list — but with our new situation (ugh, same as the old situation), and with Democrats having picked up a couple of seats, minority Senate leadership was wondering if Rubio wouldn’t put his conservative star-power to use with the 2014 mid-terms in mind, via RCP:

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has been courted by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to take over the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2014 midterm season, but the freshman lawmaker declined the entreaty, sources told RCP. …

The sources, who are familiar with Rubio’s decision, said the junior senator had mulled the leadership role for some time. As he often points out, however, being the father of four young children sometimes keeps him away from the campaign trail.

…Rubio is a star fundraiser who was able to pull in hundreds of thousands of dollars for Mitt Romney’s failed presidential bid, a skill that would be a boon to the Senate campaign committee. Of course, he can still be used by the NRSC to raise money, but he wouldn’t have to deal with the party’s divisive primaries as one of its leading strategists.

As Ann Coulter pointed out in her column this week, “just as the laws of elections generally mean the incumbent president wins, they also mean the party out of the White House typically stages a big comeback in midterm elections.” Depending on how the coming fiscal-cliff death-struggle goes down, and of course on how President Obama’s governing pans out, it’s possible that Rubio’s popularity won’t be necessary in picking up GOP Senate seats (…but, then again, after Tuesday night…who knows anymore). Regardless, Rubio’s already got all the national exposure he needs, and he may have other plans in mind.