Nice article in the Observer about freshman State Rep. Kristi Thibaut, whom the paper has tagged as a "woman to watch" for this session. I had the pleasure of meeting Rep. Thibaut back before she first ran for office, and I'm really happy to see not only that she made it, but that she's looking to shake things up a bit. She'll have a fight for re-election in 2010, in what will be the rubber match against now-former Rep. Jim Murphy, but she's got the district's trends (which mirror those of the county as a whole) and the power of incumbency in her favor. Hers may be the top race in the county next year; it will surely be in the top three or so. Keep an eye on Rep. Kristi Thibaut.