“El Tinklenberg has worked hard to make his race competitive, and he’s moving into position to win,” said DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen in a statement announcing the decision. “With a solid campaign organization and strong momentum in the district, El Tinklenberg has proven that he has what it takes to defeat Rep. Michele Bachmann.”

In 2006 the Red to Blue program helped 56 candidates raise $22.5 million, an average of $404,000 per campaign. Earlier this week the Tinklenberg campaign announced that it had raised just over $1 million at the close of the third quarter — a financial threshold often cited as a crude barometer of whether a challenger has a credible shot at winning. Bachmann has raised more than $2 million.

“Chris Van Hollen is coming to the district to show how important the national Democrats view this race and the resources they’re willing to put into it,” says Madia campaign manager Jonathan Murray.

The visit follows the announcement last month that Madia has been added to the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” list targeting Republican-held House seats that are deemed vulnerable. There are currently 22 races across the country on the list.