GOP excited about Halvorson opponent

There was a somewhat curious name in the latest fundraising appeal from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

Mentioned alongside other top recruits Van Tran in California, Tom Reed in New York and Martha Roby in Alabama was Adam Kinzinger, an early-30s military veteran running against freshman Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.).

In fact, Kinzinger actually gets the most ink of the four.

The e-mail states: “Because of your generosity we have been able to recruit excellent candidates across the country including, City Councilwoman – Martha Roby (AL-02), State Representative – Van Tran (CA-47), Mayor of Corning, NY – Tom Reed (NY-29), and Adam Kinzinger (IL-11) who served as an Air Force Pilot in Afghanistan and as a board member in his home town.”

Kinzinger has not been hailed as a top recruit in the past and raised a modest $17,000 in the first quarter. That’s not exactly big-candidate money — especially in the Chicago suburbs.

But he has caught the attention of the national party, which would like to avenge an embarrassing double-digit loss last year in a GOP-held district.

“We’re high on him,” said a national party source. “He’s got a great story and has shown a lot of potential.”