She also got involved with Dunn's Chamber of Commerce, first serving as its vice president of community development and then as its president. Starting in 2006, she sat on the Dunn Planning Board, even serving as chairwoman from 2008 through 2010.

Ellmers was not politically active until Barack Obama's election to the White House in November 2008, when she started volunteering for the Harnett County Republican Party. She grew increasingly involved during the debate over Democrats' efforts to reform the health-care system, which she strongly opposed.

2010 House race

In the fall of 2009, Ellmers decided to challenge Rep. Bobby Etheridge in North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District.

Owing her own involvement in politics to her activism against President Obama's policies, Ellmers naturally campaigned as a tea-party conservative. "I am uncomfortable with our government owning car companies, banks and insurance companies," she said in announcing her candidacy. She easily won the Republican primary in May 2010, receiving 55 percent of the vote in a three-way field.

Ellmers started as the clear underdog. Not only had Etheridge held the seat since January 1997, but the 2nd district had been represented by a Republican for only two years since 1901.

But the race suddenly attracted national attention in June 2010 when Etherdige was videotaped roughly grabbing a young man who was questioning him on a sidewalk with a camera. As the footage gained widespread coverage, Etheridge was forced to apologize and Ellmers rose to prominence as conservative blogs highlighted her candidacy.

The race once again made national news in September when Ellmers aired a TV ad opposing a planned Muslim community center in New York City. "After the Muslims conquered Jerusalem, and Cordoba and Constantinople, they built victory mosques, and now they want to build a mosque by ground zero," the ad said ,before urging the project be blocked to demonstrate that "terrorists haven't won."

A few days later, Ellmers appeared on CNN to discuss the ad. "I guess what I could ask you is, are you anti-religion, are you anti-Christian in your thinking?" she asked CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.

Ellmers landed an endorsement from Sarah Palin, which helped raise her profile among conservatives nationwide.While the National Republican Congressional Committee never showed much confidence in Ellmers' candidacy and never helped her financially, Ellmers benefited from heavy spending by outside groups like Americans for Job Security.

On Election Night, Ellmers came out narrowly on top. Etheridge conceded more than two weeks later, after a recount confirmed Ellmers's 1,489-vote victory. The result was all the more an upset because Republicans failed to pick-up any other of their North Carolina targets, some of which on paper looked more promising than the 2nd district.

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