GOP Rising Star Considering Run for Congress

State Rep. Marilinda Garcia (R-Salem) is considering a run for Congress in the 2nd District, according to the Union Leader's John DiStaso.

DiStaso reports that Garcia has told members of the Republican Party in New Hampshire that she may run. One source told DiStaso there's a 90 percent chance she'll run, and that an announcement could come next month.

So far, only one Republican, former State Sen. Gary Lambert of Nashua, has said he will run for the seat now held by Democrat Annie Kuster in 2014.

A University of New Hampshire/WMUR survey released last week showed that Kuster could be vulnerable. The poll showed Lambert with a 34 percent to 33 percent lead over Kuster.

Garcia, 30, is a four-term member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, where she sits on the House Finance Committee.

She is seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. In fact, the Republican National Committee named her one of its "Rising Stars" in August, and she made several national television appearances during the RNC's summer meeting in Boston.