Washington ( CNN ) A new entry and a waiting game on the Democratic side , a go-slow approach from a leading Republican , and the big stakes of 2016 filled our Sunday morning trip around the `` Inside Politics '' table . 1 . Here 's ... Bernie ! Hillary Clinton is about to get her first official challenger . Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont could make an announcement within days , reports CNN 's Nia-Malika Henderson , adding a populist voice to a Democratic race that starts with Clinton as the overwhelming favorite . Sanders has been exploring a run for months , and was a hit this weekend at a big South Carolina Democratic event . `` I do n't think he can necessarily challenge Hillary Clinton in terms of donors and in terms of organization , '' said Henderson . `` But in terms of bringing the heat , bringing the fire , bringing that populist rhetoric , he 'll be interesting to see , and how he moves Hillary Clinton 's own rhetoric as well . '' 2 . For Biden , watch , wait and ... Few think Vice President Joe Biden is willing to risk a third losing bid for the Democratic presidential nomination . But his official word is that he is still looking at the race , and Julie Hirschfeld Davis of The New York Times reports that this `` wait and see '' approach is likely to continue for a bit . `` There is a strain of thinking that if Hillary Clinton 's campaign is truly to implode at some point , that Democrats are going to need someone who can jump in quickly , raise a lot of money and have a lot of experience and launch a campaign , '' said Davis . `` And Joe Biden would not mind being the person they talk about as that person . So , and as long as we are talking about that , we are still talking about Joe Biden , and that 's just the way he likes it . '' 3 . Kasich also thinks waiting is best . Ohio Gov . John Kasich is more visible of late , and makes no secret of the fact that he thinks he is the most qualified among the potential Republican 2016 presidential prospects . But he is n't in a rush to make a formal declaration of candidacy . Some see this as hesitation . But Robert Costa of The Washington Post detailed a conversation with the Ohio governor in which Kasich made the case that he need not rush . `` He 's not formally moving toward it right now , '' said Costa . `` But I do n't think he feels a rush , because in this age of super PACs , it 's more about building donor relationships , building relationships in the early states , then maybe getting in when you have a little momentum . '' 4 . Listen to the candidates -- and be reminded of the high stakes . Personalities often trump policy in political coverage , especially in the early days of a campaign . But the old line `` elections have consequences '' gets repeated a lot because it just happens to be true . NPR 's Steve Inskeep says the prospect of big changes was obvious as he did some recent homework about the 2016 race . `` Jeb Bush was asked this past week about President Obama ' a executive actions on immigration , and he said on a conservative radio talk show , 'Yes , of course I would reverse them , ' '' said Inskeep . `` So suddenly you are talking about millions of people who are on a path to be legalized for a while , now potentially on a path not to be legalized , depending on who wins an election . '' `` Does n't mean they would go through with it . I think we all can recall President Obama 's promise to close Guantanamo right away if he could just replace President Bush . But it certainly would color the campaign and the tenor of the campaign -- the huge changes that could lie in store depending on who wins . '' 5 . Remember Sharron Angle ? The GOP establishment sure does ! Goal No.1 for Republicans in 2016 is taking back the White House . But preserving their new Senate majority runs a close second -- and that will be no easy task , because so many of the competitive races are in states that tend to lean blue in presidential years . So the GOP establishment is putting a priority on candidate recruitment and hoping to build on its 2014 successes , which you might recall included an aggressive effort to discourage or defeat tea party candidates viewed as too risky by the establishment . So in Nevada , where Democrat Harry Reid is retiring , there is an intensifying effort to get Republican Rep. Joe Heck to declare his Senate candidacy . And in Colorado , the establishment favorite is Rep. Mike Coffman , who opened a lot of eyes with his 2014 race in a competitive swing district against a top-tier Democratic opponent . Those two states -- and those two seats -- have special significance in the 2016 maneuvering : Reid and Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet won narrow 2010 victories in what was for the most part a big GOP year . Ask the establishment why , and you will get a ton of finger-pointing at the tea party candidates who emerged as the GOP nominees -- Sharron Angle in Nevada and Ken Buck in Colorado .
What to expect if Bernie Sanders takes the presidential nomination . Biden 's and Kasich 's ` ` wait and wait '' presidential campaign . • recruiting Senate candidates for office in Texas and Colorado .