Sure, that's three years, one long and bitterly contested GOP primary, and a running-mate-selection process away, but it's fun to speculate. Plus there's already some evidence of their chemistry between Chris Christie and Susana Martinez.

For one thing, it looks like the New Jersey governor has already locked up an endorsement from his New Mexico counterpart. “I love his authenticity, I love who he is,” she told the New York Times. “I will support Governor Christie in anything he decides to do in life.”

And why wouldn't she? In the last few days, Christie has been basking in adoring media attention and even the begrudging acknowledgment of conservatives in his party. No one is better situated to catch the reflected rays than Martinez, since she was his most high-profile associate on the stump as Christie wound down his reelection campaign. He's gone out of his way to heap praise on her too.

Now, maybe it seems strange that the governor of New Jersey, leading his little-known opponent by an enormous margin, would bring in a faraway officeholder with much less political star power to help him close out his campaign. There's an immediate political reason why it makes sense plus a couple of speculative ones—and they all have to do with 2016.