The dust has barely settled on the 2008 elections -- in fact, in a few Senate and House contests, ballots are still being counted -- but possible presidential contenders are already building foundations they will need to put them ahead of the pack in time for the 2012 Iowa caucuses, a scant 38 months away. For Republicans, the early key to success is holding a governorship, and at least half a dozen chief executives are expected to at least consider a bid for president.

That's good news for Republicans, who have suffered two straight wave elections that have given Democrats eight governors' mansions previously held by Republicans. In that same time, Republicans won back just one seat held by Democrats. Governorships can be idea-factories, political historians argue, and if the GOP hopes to dig itself out of its current hole, the party would do well to listen to the remaining chief executives, who keep hold on their positions despite the unfavorable national climate.

One should be careful in reading tea leaves too soon. But rumors and gossip floating around Washington, and around various state capitols, are only given more fuel when governors enact policy initiatives sure to win attention and favor from Republican activists around the country.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, seen as one of the party's up-and-coming stars, has plenty of time to consider a presidential run. At just 37 years old and in his first term running his state, he would still be relatively young in two decades. But Jindal, who got his first job heading a state agency when he was just 25 years old, isn't someone who just waits around; instead, he makes his own opportunities.
This year, Jindal successfully pushed his state legislature to adopt a program that puts all state spending in an online trackable database. Called LaTrac, the transparency program is part of an emerging trend that puts government checkbooks online for anyone to see. It's also a favorite of fiscal conservatives like Americans for Tax Reform's Grover Norquist, who pushes the notion any chance he gets.

Jindal is also launching a new health care initiative that would dramatically restructure the state's $7 billion Medicaid program and is sure to get national attention. Early details of the plan suggest Medicaid recipients would choose a contracted provider, which had previously set prices with the state. Though the plan has many hurdles to overcome, health care plans on a state level give a promising platform from which to launch a presidential campaign, as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney did.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, another oft-mentioned contender for the 2012 nomination, is building his reputation around a high-profile plan to save 181,000 acres of land to save and restore the Everglades. The deal with U.S. Sugar Corp. will let the company save hundreds of jobs while at the same time preserving one of the country's largest natural wonders. Both business groups and environmental organizations are enthusiastic about the plan.

The advantage for Crist is that he is up for re-election in 2010. Now that Florida has proven its ability to give electoral votes to both Democratic and Republican candidates, winning re-election in a swing state may be of import to Republican primary voters eager for a victory. The latest Quinnipiac University survey shows Crist with 68% approval ratings and easily leading a generic Democratic opponent by a 50%-28% margin.

Environmentalism and health care reform are both good ways to appeal to swing and independent voters in two years. But listening to Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, GOP voters who seek a more comprehensive comeback for their entire party might find a more national strategy. Pawlenty, in a Monday interview with The Washington Times, reiterated his view that Republicans need to appeal to what he calls "Sam's Club" voters and their concerns with basic pocketbook issues.

Pawlenty, a decade older than Jindal and with one more term under his belt than Crist, was a finalist for the job of John McCain's running mate. Now, as he contemplates running for a third term heading what is an increasingly Democratic state, Pawlenty is trying to cast himself as a brand that can win over voters historically less inclined to back Republicans.

That appeal to middle-of-the-road and even Democratic-leaning voters will be key as the GOP hopes to make a comeback. "We need to be reform-minded and take the lead by showing, for example, how conservative ideas can grow jobs, reform and improve education, make health care more affordable, and provide a more secure and clean energy future," Pawlenty told The Times. Pawlenty is trusted by social conservatives, but his positions aren't loud enough to scare many in the middle.

Jindal, Crist and Pawlenty are the tip of the GOP's gubernatorial iceberg. Utah's Jon Huntsman, South Carolina's Mark Sanford, Texas' Rick Perry and more have made names for themselves in their home states, and noise about their future in Washington, over recent years. Though Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sucked up most of the oxygen at last week's Republican Governors Association conference in Miami -- a fact that did not go unnoticed among her fellow governors -- the GOP has stars waiting to emerge around the country.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, once chairman of the Republican National Committee and a student of GOP history, maintains his party's fortunes will improve from the state level. It happened with a crop of governors in the early 1990s, he says, that included Tommy Thompson, John Engler, Bill Weld, Carroll Campbell and others. If the party's focus stays on this new crop of governors, history may repeat itself.