NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland

The big headlines out of CPAC this year, as usual, were focused on main-stage speeches by potential Republican presidential candidates for 2016, but that’s still three years away and conservatives cannot afford to look past next year’s mid-term election. So, to me, one of the most important events of this week’s conference was this:

Utah’s 4th District — where Republican Mia Love came within 800 votes of unseating Democrat Rep. Jim Matheson last November — tops the list of more than 40 Democrat-held seats targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in next year’s mid-term elections.

Mattheson held onto his seat last fall despite the fact Romney carried 67 percent of the vote in the 4th District. Love, who is mayor of Saratoga Springs, raised more than $2 million for her 2012 campaign and is seen as one of the most promising new faces in the conservative movement. Love received an enthusiastic welcome at this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

During a briefing for bloggers at CPAC this weekend, NRCC Chairman Greg Walden described the committee’s top list of targeted Democrat-held seats as the “slippery seven,” because they have so often eluded Republicans’ grasp. . . .

Please read the whole thing at Viral Read. The fight by Republicans to recapture the Senate will likely overshadow the GOP’s battle to hold onto — and perhaps expand — their House majority in 2014. Some readers may remember how hard it was to get attention for Republican challengers in 2010, which is why I want to start early trying to focus attention on these key races for next year. The 2016 beauty pageant must be viewed as a dangerous distraction from the real fight at hand.

The NRCC chairman seems like a solid, smart man with a business background who can be counted on to run an effective campaign for 2014. The NRCC’s digital coordinator Nick Martelli was savvy enough to arrange a blogger briefing at CPAC, and Walden said that online messaging will be an “integral” component of their plans for next year’s mid-terms. You can become part of that team by following @RepGregWalden, @NickMarcelli and @NRCC on Twitter.

And, oh, yeah: Mia Love’s already gearing up for 2014.





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