Koster achieves full 'Young Guns' status

Republican congressional candidate John Koster received a nice boost today with his promotion to the top tier of the “Young Guns” program of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Koster, 58, is running in the 2nd Congressional District against Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen.

“John’s campaign is a symbol of the growing momentum behind Republican candidates in Washington and across the country,” Rep. Pete Sessions, R-TX, chairman of the NRCC, said in a press release.

The press release notes that Young Guns was founded in the 2007-2008 election cycle by Reps. Eric Cantor R-VA, Kevin McCarthy, R-CA., and Paul Ryan, R-WI., to identify, recruit, and mobilize “a new generation of conservative leaders.” It is now “an official NRCC effort dedicated to electing open-seat and challenger candidates nationwide.”

There are three tiers of support – On the Radar then Contenders and finally Young Guns. Koster had been listed as a contender until today.

In recent days he’s become more visible for the GOP leaders. He was the top votegetter in the primary, has raised a good chunk of money and on Sunday received the endorsement of the largest circulation newspaper in the district, The Herald.

For Koster, to be named a Young Gun should help him raise funds for his campaign. It also should net him additional resources from the campaign committee and the national Republican Party. It might even prove to be an enticement for outside groups to spend their money to push Koster’s candidacy and take whacks at Larsen.

Jaime Herrera, who is running for an open seat in the 3rd Congressional District, is also a designated Young Gun of the NRCC. Here’s a map of Young Guns everywhere.
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