Two of conservatives’ favorite governors, both of whom were among the frontrunners in this year’s erstwhile Veepstakes speculation, are now being slated to head up the Republican Governors’ Association in the coming couple of years. First up, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, followed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, via CNN:

Under an arrangement that appears to have the blessing of RGA member governors as well as both the Jindal and Christie camps, Jindal will serve as RGA Chairman in 2013, when the Virginia and New Jersey governorships are up for grabs. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, himself a powerhouse fundraiser, will serve as vice-chairman in 2013. Then, in 2014, Christie will take over the chairmanship, should he win re-election next November. The former prosecutor has not formally announced that he will seek a second term, but his pursuit of the RGA job for now should put any doubts about his near-term plans to rest. Jindal would then serve as Christie’s vice-chair for the 2014 cycle, when the RGA will have a slew of high-profile seats to defend in states like Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida.

A solid resume-builder to help two of the GOP’s rising stars keep rising — as much as we’re often politically focused on the present, it never hurts to keep the future well in mind (gotta’ keep the party well-heeled for 2020, or even, just in case things don’t go Romney’s way, for 2016). Also, both Jindal and Christie are not exactly the shy or peevish sort — their rigor and charisma can certainly help with electing and re-electing a broad swath of Republicans to state governorships in the near future. 2014 could shape up to be a big year in that regard, and all of the fundraising and travel involved could help build some valuable political capital.

Most voters are now at least fairly familiar with Gov. Christie, but Gov. Jindal could definitely stand to gain from some more national exposure; I think the Veep-speculation buzz helped a bit, but unfortunately, it seems that a lot of people’s minds still automatically jump to his one-time weak State of the Union response rather than his brilliant governance. We’ve gotta’ cut that out — he’s one of the harshest, most poignant critics of President Obama we’ve got.