Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press

LANSING – Chatter by national political pundits about Gov. Rick Snyder as a possible long shot Republican candidate for president in 2016 has picked up amid positive publicity about Detroit's emergence from bankruptcy.

Snyder, while not expressing interest in a national candidacy, hasn't gone out of his way to tamp down the speculation.

The national online journal Politico ran a lengthy piece exploring the issue Wednesday in which Snyder said he plans to step up his travel schedule in 2015 to "explain the Michigan story to the rest of the country."

That followed an appearance on CNN by New York Times national political correspondent Jonathan Martin in which he talked up a possible Snyder candidacy on "Inside Politics."

"Keep an eye on Rick Snyder of Michigan," said Martin, describing Snyder as a "Jeb Bush-style" Republican who could attract moderates. "He is someone who wants to at the very least be in the mix for 2016."

Ron Fournier, senior political columnist for the National Journal and a Michigan native, tweeted a link to the Politico article Thursday morning with the message: "Watch this Snyder guy in 2016. He gets stuff done."

Midwest governors are frequently touted as potential presidential candidates. It happened on more than one occasion with former Republican Gov. John Engler. But until recently, most of the talk about 2016 has centered on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Snyder's role in the Detroit financial crisis -- with most signs pointing to a much more financially stable city with improving services as it emerges from the largest Chapter 9 bankruptcy in the nation's history -- has added him to the mix as political pundits discuss 2016.

Snyder, who won re-election to a second and final term on Nov. 4, has also raised his national profile as an advocate for immigration reform and through his recent recognition by Governing magazine as a "public official of the year."

Democrats and other Snyder critics in Michigan scoff at the idea, saying the pundit chatter ignores what they see as major failures by Snyder in areas such as education, the middle-class recovery from the recession, and even road funding, where Snyder has repeatedly emphasized the issue but has not championed a specific solution, largely leaving that problem to the Legislature, which has yet to solve it.

Even the pundits who talk about a Snyder candidacy caution that he would have a difficult time emerging from a Republican primary, which tends to favor more conservative candidates.

The Free Press explored talk of a Snyder candidacy in January. At that time, several national political experts said Snyder would be discussed as a potential candidate if he won re-election. Snyder defeated Democratic challenger Mark Schauer by four percentage points, and the talk has begun.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com