Finding the Next Hillary

With Hillary Clinton looking fated to remain a senator, the New York Times explores who could succeed her as a likely contender to become the first woman president. The candidate would have to be from the South or the West, a Democrat with red-state appeal or a Republican from the private sector, and a “fighter” with executive experience and grown children. One critical problem? "She may not exist,” writes Kate Zernike.

Some possibilities include Republican Gov. Sarah Palin from Alaska, and Obama supporters Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. But with bias against a female candidate still a big hurdle, "it's going to be generations" before a woman takes the White House, said one analyst. (More Hillary Clinton stories.)