Only read this if you like playing the what-if game

Now that 33-year-old millionaire Jared Polis appears headed to the U.S. House of Representatives after his 1,761 vote victory over onetime front runner Joan Fitz-Gerald in the Democratic primary, some Colorado political insiders are wondering what’s next for this ambitious rising star.

Assuming he wins the general election, Polis would be one of three openly gay Members of Congress – virtually assuring him a national platform.  And as a young Congressman, he’ll have the opportunity to carve out a long career in the House and maybe get to be a powerful committee chairman before his 60th birthday.  But these days, many young Congressmen grow impatient with the seniority system and quickly begin to eye higher office.

So where does Polis go?  Just for fun, for people who like to think about scenarios, here are his options: he can run for Governor in 2014, the next time the Democrats are expected to have no incumbent in the primary, or he can wait for a shot at the U.S. Senate.  That schedule isn’t as easy to predict.  If Mark Udall loses in November, Polis can focus on a six-year statewide campaign to oust Bob Schaffer in 2014.  (He might some real competition for that nod: Bill Ritter, assuming he’s the outgoing two-term Governor, would be a serious contender.)

If Udall wins, Polis will have fewer opportunities to move up.  The state’s other Senator, Ken Salazar, is 53-years old, and Udall is 58. And while Coloradans tend to leave the U.S. Senate voluntarily without staying too long – the state hasn’t had someone stay more than twelve years since Gordon Allot lost his bid for a fourth term in 1972 (and hasn’t ousted an incumbent since 1978) – it’s hard to predict how long it will be before the next open Senate seat.