November and politics always go together, even in an odd year. The winds are blowing in changes on both party fronts. Democratic governor-elect of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe won the most significant victory, a clash with a pro-gun, anti-choice attorney general. McAuliffe is a BFOB (best friend of Bill Clinton.) But, boy, did it cut close.

On the other side is a gallery of roguish Republicans: Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. Then throw in Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey. He just got decisively re-elected Tuesday. Experts say that makes him the front-runner for the 2016 race to the White House.

In any case, these four are considered the main contenders in the Republican presidential field, such as it is. Goes to show, the GOP is not as grand as it used to be, with this gallery. Presidential timber, they are not.

All except Christie are from Southern states: Cruz hails from Texas, Paul comes from Kentucky and Rubio represents Florida. Interestingly, Cruz and Rubio are of Cuban descent, a warning sign, since Cuban-Americans tend toward hard right-wing politics. All are 50 or under.

Cruz, the leading tea party demagogue, annoyed the other 99 senators by egging on the House tea party set during the government shutdown and the debt-ceiling crisis. He is a freshman who has filibustered, speaking all night long on the Senate floor; rudely challenged the Judicial Committee chairman, Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.); and broke protocol by denouncing opponents by name on the floor, especially Majority Leader Harry Reid. (He should say "the Senator from Nevada.") Cruz is roiling the clubby Senate, a last bastion of decorum.

The more self-contained Paul is a tea party libertarian who also filibustered, holding the floor for hours, droning on about drones. But his was a worthy cause, for he got the Obama administration to clarify its policy on using drones publicly. He has a plagiarism problem, but what are a few Wikipedia lines between friends? Not as abrasive as his fellow senator, Paul may be no match for Cruz's energetic speaking style on the stump.

Rubio has made a mark in the Senate by helping to craft the immigration bill, which passed this summer in the Senate, but floundered in the House. That got him in hot water with the tea party. How far outside Florida, with its sizable Cuban-American community, his brand will reach is not clear. He's a creature of Miami politics and considered a bit of a lightweight in Washington. He declared that Christie's re-election victory in a blue state should not be taken as a sign of greater status as a candidate for national office. I agree, Marco.

Christie is a real New Jersey guy, rough-cut with a populist persona. And yet, he nixed taking federal funds for building a new subway tunnel across the Hudson River to Manhattan. The planned rail tunnel, a huge undertaking, was stopped in its tracks. If Christie really is a man of the people, that was the wrong call for public transportation for the next generation. But he welcomed the federal emergency funding for Hurricane Sandy repairs. The burly governor and President Obama bonded as they walked on the beach.

Christie also goes to Bruce Springsteen concerts, bops up and down to working-class anthems like "Badlands," saying he knows all the songs in the book. But Springsteen shuns Christie, who knows the words but not the true meaning of his songs.

Will Christie's obesity count against him on the national stage? Will his opponents raise it as a legitimate health issue? He's about the same size as William Howard Taft, an immense president 100 years ago. In my opinion, obesity is a health risk that should be aired in a presidential race.

Christie and Cruz may slug it out to the finish at the 2016 Republican convention, in verbal fisticuffs. They are not gentlemen, but these are not gentle times.

But, hey, there's a lady of New York, a citizen of the world, who could have either for lunch.

To find out more about Jamie Stiehm, and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com