Former Republican mayor of Saratoga Springs Mia Love didn’t waste much time after losing to incumbent Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson by fewer than 800 votes in 2012 to announce that she planned to try, try again to represent Utah’s 4th Congressional district, and then in December, Matheson announced that he was retiring from the seat. I missed this over the weekend, but Love did indeed secure the Republican nomination on Saturday — and since she’ll now be facing a non-incumbent in a district Romney took by a 37-point margin in 2012, the GOP is feeling pretty jazzed about her prospects. Via The Hill:

Rising GOP star Mia Love handily secured the Republican nominee Saturday to replace retiring Rep. Jim Matheson’s (D-Utah).

The former Saratoga Springs, Utah, mayor raked in more than 78 percent of the vote at the party’s nominating convention, while businessman Bob Fuehr received just about 22 percent, according to multiple reports. The victory makes her one step closer to becoming the first black female Republican ever elected to Congress.

Now, she will face off against Democrat Doug Owens, a Salt Lake City attorney who garnered 98 percent of his party’s support at his own party’s convention.

Love quickly became a party favorite after her 2012 Republican National Convention speech captured national attention. In the speech, she talked about her parents’ immigration to the U.S. from Haiti, and attacked President Obama for policies that she said failed to improve the country.