Republicans look at the 22nd congressional district and practically salivate.

The district is considered ripe for a pickup opportunity next year: Won handily by President Donald Trump in 2016, the district is represented by a freshman Democrat, Rep. Anthony Brindisi, who is widely seen as the most vulnerable New York freshman in 2020.

Trump will be back at the top of the ticket next year. Declared and potential GOP candidates are stepping forward.

Already declared is George Phillips, a former congressional aide who will hold town hall meets on bread-and-butter issues like the economy and immigration, but doesn’t want to discuss the investigations into the Trump administration, the president’s campaign or his personal finances.

Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell this month also announced his candidacy.

Meanwhile, Binghamton Mayor Rich David, who met this week with Trump in the Oval Office with other local government officials, is weighing a bid, according to Republican sources.

And former Rep. Claudia Tenney, who Brindisi defeated last year, is also considering whether to win her old seat back.

Trump, though popular in the district, wasn’t enough to help Tenney. The president held a fundraiser in Utica for Teneny and members of his family campaigned with her. She lost anyway in what turned into a Democratic wave year.

Some Republicans, including Cornwell, have little desire to see Tenney jump back into the race.

“We need a strong candidate, with a proven record on the issues that Upstate New York residents care about — fighting crime, ending illegal immigration, fighting the opioid crisis, and helping put people back to work,” he said.

“I am, by far, the strongest candidate to take this seat back and represent the people. I can’t comment on what Ms. Tenney will or won’t do, but I know I’m the best candidate for the job.”

The primary for Republicans is shaping up to be not unlike primary contests for Democrats last year, in which a crowded field competed to win the nomination ahead of an expected good year for the party.

It’s not yet clear what sort of year 2020 will shape up to be for either party, of course, and whether Trump’s coattails will translate to down-ballot victories.

For his part, Brindisi’s campaign said he “is focused on doing the job New Yorkers elected him to do: fighting for veterans, working to bring down health care costs, championing the needs of farmers, and passing legislation to support American workers.”