Mia Love sets up rematch against Matheson

Mia Love, the mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, officially announced she’s running for Congress on Saturday, setting up a rematch with Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah).

{mosads}She lost by fewer than 800 votes to Matheson in 2012.

His district remains one of the top targets for Republicans, and Love’s candidacy represents a strong recruit for Republicans. According to the Deseret News, Love has hired Dave Hansen, a strategist from Sen. Orrin Hatch’s (R-Utah) 2012 campaign.

“I wanted to see if the momentum was there, if we could build upon what we had before,” Love said of her second run, according to the Deseret News. “People are getting behind us and are more determined than ever to win this seat.”

Love attracted enthusiastic attention from national Republicans and was given a top speaking position at the national convention. She would have been the party’s first black female member.

She told the Deseret News she’s not sure if she’ll face a primary challenger, but “hopefully not.”