2011's Top Breakout Stars

By Sean Sullivan  //  December 31, 2011 | 4:04 p.m.

Elizabeth Warren, Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In an interview with National Journal reporters Jim Tankers;ey and Bill Swindell in her office at the Treasury Department on Tuesday, October 26, 2010. (Chet Susslin)

Happy New Year's Eve and welcome back to our series of year end posts/recaps (see our takes on 2011's Biggest Flops, Luckiest Candidates, Top Comeback Kids, The Year in Media, and the Biggest Twitter Losers). Here's a NYE bonus helping: The year's biggest breakout stars in statewide races.

These are candidates who were not household names at the beginning of the year, and in some cases were not even on the list of potential candidates being discussed. For all of them, however, 2012 will be a big test, and if they do not deliver, 2011 could be all for naught.

5) Bill Maloney: It might seem out of place to list a candidate who came up short in his general election bid on this list, but the West Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee shouldn't feel bad at all about the year he had.

He came from nowhere to upset the favorite in the GOP primary, former Secretary of State Betty Ireland and waged an impressive general election bid against Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

He also won the good faith of the RGA, who chipped in with a very big ad buy in the closing days of the race, which Maloney lost by just three points. He's exploring a 2012 rematch against Tomblin, and if the two face off again, the race will likely be one of next year's marquee contests.

4) Josh Mandel: The Republican treasurer of Ohio attracted some national buzz last year when he won his statewide race with the support of over 2 million voters. When he declared himself a Senate candidate, his national stock skyrocketed; what's more, he turned in one of the most impressive fundraising quarters of the year.

But Mandel still has much to prove in 2012. His military background is appealing, but his boyish looks will remind voters of how young and relatively inexperienced he is.

3) Democratic Senate recruits serving in the House: From Chris Murphy in Connecticut to Martin Heinrich in New Mexico, Mazie Hirono in Hawaii and Shelley Berkley in Nevada, Democrats have coaxed several lower chamber members into races, resulting in steady fundraising performances and campaigns featuring experienced candidates. Of course, there are other Democratic candidates in Connecticut and New Mexico who would quickly warn against premature coronations for Heinrich and Murphy. 2) Rob McKenna: Can a Republican win statewide in the blue state of Washington -- during a presidential year? Talk to the national Republicans bullish about the attorney general's chances in the open governor's race, and you'll hear a lot say yes (you'll also hear reminders that Mckenna ran ahead of President Obama in the state in 2008.) McKenna has polled well -- leading Democratic Rep. Jay Inslee in a couple of live caller surveys. A key for his chances: crossover appeal. If he can get enough Obama voters, he may give Republicans a prized pickup next year. But don't lose sight of how difficult McKenna's task will be: A Republican has not been elected governor in the Evergreen State since 1980. 1) Elizabeth Warren. Early in 2011, as the bigger Democratic names in Massachusetts were consistently passing on a challenge to Republican Sen. Scott Brown, observers were wondering if Democrats were going to field a credible candidate against him. Enter Warren, who's impressive fundraising and polling along with ability to attract large crowds have given Democrats something to cheer about heading into what promises to be a very close race in 2012.

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