As the 2016 White House hopefuls battle for votes, a few political buffs already are speculating about potential presidential candidates in 2020.
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And one of the names that's being mentioned is U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who turned 39 on Friday.
A New York Times article Thursday on the future presidential aspirations of House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said Cotton is already "widely viewed as angling for a run" four years from now.
That's partly because Cotton is one of President Barack Obama's most vocal critics, a frequent guest on CNN and some of the other television cable news channels.
Cotton's travels also are fueling speculation.
Since joining the Senate in January 2015, he has made trips to some of the key early primary and caucus states.
He spoke at fellow U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst's Boone, Iowa, pig roast and political rally in June; appeared at a Presidential Town Hall in Nashua, N.H., in January; and delivered the keynote address at the 49th annual Silver Elephant Dinner in Columbia, S.C.
He's also spoken this year at party functions in Missouri and Minnesota and, earlier this month, he traveled to Arizona to campaign for U.S. Sen. John McCain.
The fellow combat veterans serve together on the Senate Armed Services Committee and McCain is facing a challenger in the state's Aug. 30 primary.
Cotton's name also has been floated as a potential vice presidential running mate in the fall campaign.
In an interview, Cotton said it's too early to focus on 2020.
"We don't even have nominees for the two parties in this cycle. I think it's premature to talk about hypotheticals four years from now," he said.
For now, Cotton said he's concentrating on keeping the Capitol in GOP hands.
"I'm firmly committed to ensuring that we hold our Republican majority in the Senate so whoever is president, we can continue to advance conservative causes and conservative legislation," he said.
Rather than laying the groundwork for future races, Cotton said he's devoting his energy to re-electing fellow Republicans.
"I have good relationships with colleagues all across the country, and when they ask me to go, if I can fit it into my obligations as a senator and my obligations as a dad and husband, I try to help them out," he said.
It's the sort of effort that benefited him when he ran. "So many people helped me in my Senate race in 2014," he said.
McCain, the party's 2012 presidential nominee, doubts that Cotton is dreaming about the White House as he journeys from state to state.
Instead, Cotton is trying to keep "the turmoil in the Republican Party" from harming GOP incumbents, he said.
"I may be wrong, but I do not see right now Cotton's ambition exceeding that of being a very effective and well-respected member of the Senate, which I think he has succeeded in doing," McCain said. "There's no doubt that he is an emerging star in the United States Senate and the Republican Party."
But Cotton's work to bolster Republican candidates and his travels to Iowa and New Hampshire "could pay dividends in later years," McCain said.
And if the day arrives when Cotton is ready to seek the presidency, McCain said he'll be glad to see it.
"In this tumultuous and dangerous world we live in, I would welcome the voice of reason and knowledge and experience that Tom Cotton represents," he said.
While McCain downplays chances of a 2020 presidential bid, lawmakers in Arkansas are considering the possibility. Last year, they removed an obstacle that might undermine a potential Cotton presidential campaign four years from now.
Shortly after Cotton took office, the Legislature passed and Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law legislation that would allow Cotton to run for re-election in the Senate while simultaneously seeking higher office.
Act 742 of 2015 declared that "A person may be a candidate for President or Vice President of the United States and for the United States Senate or United States House of Representatives in the same primary and general election."
Democratic officials say they won't be stunned if Cotton decides to seek a higher-profile job.
"I wouldn't be the least bit surprised," said Democratic Party of Arkansas spokesman H.L. Moody. "He hadn't been a member of Congress for all of about 20 minutes when he started running for the Senate. Now that he's been in the Senate, I'm not surprised that he's thinking of running for higher office."
Metro on 05/16/2016