WASHINGTON The 2022 midterms have rebuilt the Democrats presidential bench, providing the party with a host of ideological, geographical and biographical options for the partys next nominee after Joe Biden be that sooner or later.

While Novembers midterms were far from a complete success Republicans took control of the U.S. House Democrats won most of the countrys marquee swing-state Senate and gubernatorial contests, with presidential buzz developing around some of the victors even before their races were called.

Two events this week highlight this new bench: The reelection of Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) in a runoff on Tuesday night put the spotlight on one of the partys highest-profile Black leaders. And the Democratic Governors Associations conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, featured a host of would-be presidential contenders.

Theres no question that we have a new generation ready and prepared to serve, said Donna Brazile, a Democratic National Committee member and long-time party strategist who managed Al Gores presidential campaign in 2000. Weve got a lot of good candidates who are primed and ready.

The full list of names who won in November is dizzying and diverse. Want a moderate senator with a compelling personal story whos won reelection in a tough state? Heres Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. Want a candidate from a traditional battleground whos shown a pathway for defeating extremist Republicans? Take a look at Pennsylvania Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro. How about taking another run at electing the first woman to the presidency? Meet Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Massachusetts Gov.-elect Maura Healey.

While Biden is seen as likely to run again in 2024, party strategists are excited the bridge to a new generation the president once promised finally seems to be at least under construction and that there are options beyond Vice President Kamala Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

For a while, it was looking a little rough, said Mo Elleithee, another DNC member who was a top aide on Hillary Clintons 2008 presidential campaign. But were starting to see a real bench that is geographically diverse. Were seeing some big Western stars emerging, some Southern stars emerging, some Midwestern stars emerging.

Bidens proposed elevation of South Carolina to vote first in the next primary (at least for the 2024 cycle) is putting more focus on Warnock and other potential Black candidates, including the obvious, like Harris, to the still-obscure, like Maryland Gov.-Elect Wes Moore.

Before we go further, lets also issue a reminder: Most of the people named in this article will not become president. Most of them will never even become the Democratic nominee. Some could face horrific scandals in the coming years. Many will not end up running for president. Others will run and struggle to raise money or convince more than five people to attend a town hall in Manchester, New Hampshire.

And projecting the political mood of the Democratic Party, or the country more broadly, in 2024 or 2028 is a fools errand at best. Until Bidens plans are clear, no one knows when the next open Democratic presidential primary will be.

People didnt even know who Pete Buttigieg was at the beginning of the 2020 cycle, said Rebecca Katz, the founder of the Democratic firm New Deal Strategies. This is all so, so, so far away.

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