Longtime Republican consultant Ed Rollins said that even as he watches Cruz’s rise, others hardly on the party’s radar could become challengers for Cruz’s base, particularly former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

“Mike has always thought 2016 would be his cycle,” said Rollins, who advised Huckabee’s unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign. “I think he’s getting ready to go. Every sign out there is that he’s thinking hard about it.”

Rollins said Huckabee’s populism connects with the working-class voters in the early primary states, as does his preacher’s cadence. Huckabee’s liabilities would be his history of weak fundraising and his support for Common Core, a set of national education standards opposed by many tea party conservatives.