Kerrey's Happy Outside the Senate, but . . .

No 2008 candidate of either party has been able to duplicate Bush's success in courting governors.

Among the Republicans, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) used his early front-runner's glow to lure Govs. Jon Huntsman Jr. (Utah), Tim Pawlenty (Minn.) and Mitch Daniels (Ind.) into the fold, but those endorsements may not matter much now as McCain faces huge financial and organizational struggles.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has recruited two of his former colleagues -- Govs. Matt Blunt (Mo.) and Don Carcieri (R.I.). Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has Gov. Mike Rounds (S.D.) on board.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former senator Fred Thompson (Tenn.) have an equal number of gubernatorial endorsements: zero.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) leads the way with four governors: Eliot Spitzer (N.Y.), Jon Corzine (N.J.), Mike Beebe (Ark.) and Martin O'Malley (Md.).

And Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) has the backing of Gov. Tim Kaine (Va.). No other Democrats have garnered governors' endorsements.

Who are the big free agents among the nation's governors?

For Republicans, that conversation starts with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Calif.), who would bring his celebrity status -- not to mention a massive fundraising network -- to whichever candidate he chose. Gov. Charlie Crist (Fla.) would be another big get, given the Sunshine State's primacy in the primary process and the number of affluent donors in the state.

Among Democrats, landing Gov. Chet Culver (Iowa) or Gov. John Lynch (N.H.) would be a huge boost for a candidate, but neither seems likely to endorse. Look for Gov. Brian Schweitzer (Mont.) to emerge as a coveted commodity -- he is seen by many as the face of the reemergence of Democrats in the West.

PLAY ERS

Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) is getting more and more serious about a statewide run if and when Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) decides against seeking a sixth term. The latest sign? Davis has recruited his longtime political capo, John Hishta, away from a lucrative consulting job in order to organize for a potential Senate bid. Hishta and Davis go back a long way: Hishta managed Davis's first race for chairman of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors in 1991. In the 2002 cycle, Hishta served as the executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which Davis was chairing at the time. "I have enjoyed working with Congressman Davis over the years and look forward to continuing to help him as he ponders his future options," said Hishta of his new position. Davis is clearly getting his A-team ready for the race. Does he know something about Warner's planned announcement next month that we don't?