2. Chris Christie: Watch Christie’s first ad in his walkover 2013 reelection race. Then imagine that as the start of telling the Christie story to a national Republican audience. Pretty powerful stuff. Yes, Christie has something of a base problem given the (false) idea that he somehow cost Mitt Romney the 2012 election because of his embrace of President Obama during Hurricane Sandy. But, Christie’s regular-guy populism is a nice fit for the times. (Previous ranking: 2)

1. Rand Paul: He’s not a clear front-runner. But, if you are looking for a candidate who can (a) raise the money, (b) has a clear and compelling message and (c) has an obvious edge in an early state (Iowa), then Paul is the only person in the top three who checks all three boxes. We repeat what we said above: Underestimate him at your own peril. (Previous ranking: 3)