The National Republican Party has targeted the 8th Congressional District as one they will push to take back next year.

The district, which includes Scotland County, is represented by Larry Kissell.

U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy,recruitment chairman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said the GOP also plans to target congressional districts 2, 7 and 13.

But he said the 8th District would be one of the most competitive races in North Carolina in 2010.

Kissell unseated five-term Robin Hayes 55 percent to 45 percent in a district that both parties have targeted for much of this decade.

Hayes announced he would not run for the seat.

Hayes said at least five people have told him they would consider running if he wasn't. So he decided to get out of the way, he said, "and let someone else have a shot of it."

Hayes, who moved back to Concord to spend more time with his family and run a mill he owns, said McCarthy's visit to the state signals that interest in the 8th District hasn't ebbed.

"It means the Republican Party is very actively recruiting quality candidates to win back this seat," Hayes said.

McCarthy said that with President Obama's popularity dropping in the national polls and this summer's controversy over the Democratic plan for health care reform, Republicans will be in a better position to pick up seats in the House and Senate in 2010.

"I believe if you look at the frustrations going on in this country and the direction it is going, we are looking for fresh faces that can find solutions," he said.