Weinbergagain/Flickr.com

Weinbergagain/Flickr.com

President Barack Obama may or may not win his reelection bid in November. In either case, the Democrats need to identify the politicians most likely to win the 2016 presidential campaign. That’s because if Obama wins a second term, both parties will be scrambling to get their politicians on the ballot. If Obama loses and a Republican wins the presidency on Election Day, the Democrats will try their hardest to regain control four years from now. So who are the top contenders? Five rising stars make this list.

[ALSO READ: GOP Presidential Candidates for 2016]

Deval Patrick: After becoming the first African-American governor of Massachusetts in 2007, Patrick has focused on education, environmental issues, health care and services for veterans while in office—all causes likely to endear to liberals, should he run for office in 2016. Patrick also supports same-sex marriage and opposes the death penalty. The people of Massachusetts certainly approve of his political stances, re-electing him as governor in 2010.

Cory Booker: The mayor of Newark, N.J., has gained national attention since taking office in 2006. Booker’s key concerns have included crime reduction and prevention, the city budget, youth programs, affordable housing, education and bettering city services overall. Newark’s lower crime rate under Booker’s tenure will certainly be a selling point for him if he opts to run for presidential office in 2016. Booker wouldn’t be the first mayor in recent memory to make such a move. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ran as a Republican presidential candidate in 2008.

Elizabeth Warren: After serving as special advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the Obama administration, the economic expert is now running in the 2012 U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts. Warren has received a following in liberal circles due to her longstanding criticisms of the financial industry and expertise in helping middle-class Americans make gains. She will only garner more fans if she can win the Senate seat in Massachusetts come November. Fast forward four years and Warren could very well follow in Barack Obama’s footsteps and be in the running for president as a junior senator.

Andrew Cuomo: Lefties may not be totally sold on the governor of New York since he’s widely viewed as more moderate than liberal. However, his work to get same-sex marriage legislation passed in New York has earned him kudos from progressives. Cuomo’s centrist stances on a number of other issues, such as his refusal to support a millionaire’s tax, will likely draw independents to his side or maybe even some moderate Republicans.

Martin O’Malley: The Maryland governor and former Baltimore mayor has won praise for helping Maryland schools become some of the top-performing in the country. He accomplished this in part by backing tax hikes and rerouting money for other government programs to finance education. The New York Times quoted O’Malley remarking, “We have gone through a period when we have decided, knowingly or unknowingly, to undercapitalize the great, job-generating, opportunity-expanding capacity of America.”