Welcome a competitive primary.

Whether or not Clinton runs, both sides should welcome a hard-fought primary, if only to keep the eventual nominees battle-tested, sharp and not complacent, some governors argued.

“I’ve told my fellow Democrats in our state, the reason right now we’re a strong Republican state is we have strong competitive primaries,” said Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican. “Competition is good for all of us. I don’t think it’s going to help Secretary Clinton if she runs if she has no opposition.”

Heineman listed a handful of Democrats that have been talked about as possible Clinton rivals — O’Malley, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

“It would be interesting, quite frankly, for both parties to have really competitive primaries,” he said.

The Republican side, meanwhile, appears destined to be competitive whether the GOP leadership likes it or not, with a slew of potential candidates testing the waters and no apparent standard-bearer.