When South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham scans the GOP presidential field of 14 candidates, he thinks one person not running for president may have a good chance of winning.

Asked on Boston Herald radio whether New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte would make a good vice president, the presidential candidate from the Palmetto State went a step farther and said Ayotte could become president one day.

"I think she could be president," Graham said. "She has an unlimited future. ... The problem is she's running in 2016, but I think she'll be on everybody's list."

Ayotte often aligns herself with the establishment wing of the GOP on key public policy debates, and is often aligned with the hawkish Graham and Arizona Sen. John McCain when it comes to foreign policy. Ayotte hosted private events featuring Graham and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush earlier this year.

Ayotte's name was routinely floated as a possible vice presidential pick for 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, and she has already gained attention for a vice presidential bid in 2016. The Daily Beast has called Ayotte the "2016 frontrunner...for vice president."

Ayotte, however, appears focused on her re-election campaign in her home state, where she could face a tough opponent in the form of Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan. Ayotte first won election in 2010 amid a Republican wave in the mid-term elections, but the turnout in New Hampshire for a presidential election could make things much more difficult. New Hampshire has voted for the Democratic candidate in each presidential election since 2000.