North Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Andrew Whalen tells politico.com that the party is already targeting Congresswoman-Elect Renee Ellmers for the 2012 election and that the party will track her every move. The Republican Ellmers defeated longtime Democratic incumbent Bob Etheridge for the 2nd District seat in Congress. (emphasis is mine)

Democrats also plan to draw a bead on North Carolina Rep.-elect Renee Ellmers, a registered nurse and political newcomer who edged out veteran Democratic Rep. Bob Etheridge by fewer than 2,000 votes in a race that even national GOP strategists believed was beyond its reach. The Republican drew attention during the campaign after releasing a controversial TV ad hammering the proposed Islamic mosque and community center in Lower Manhattan.

North Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Andrew Whalen said he planned to place a full-time tracker on Ellmers, who currently resides in a district that Obama won with 52 percent and where roughly one in three residents are African-American.

“The stuff she has done, the comments she has made during the campaign — she is going to be at the top of the list in 2012,” said Whalen.

Ellmers campaign manager Al Lytton said he was confident the central North Carolina district would become more GOP-friendly after redistricting but argued that the conservative Ellmers already “fits the district well.”