Republican Patricia Anderson this week said she was quitting the governor's race and would run instead to regain the auditor's seat she lost in 2006.

Anderson, who was trounced by Democrat Rebecca Otto four years ago, said national trends hurt her chances for victory. (If Anderson wins GOP endorsement, she and Otto would repeat their face-off since Otto is running for re-election. There are three other Republicans running for auditor, all of whom will continue their runs despite the former auditor's entrance.)

"The summer of 2006, Republicans were, you know, their numbers nationally were dropping, dropping, dropping, dropping. There wasn't much you could do...all across the ticket," Anderson said Tuesday. In Minnesota, Gov. Tim Pawlenty was the only statewide office seeker who saw victory in Minnesota.

But now, Anderson's hopeful the trend has changed and she can get back into office. She's not the only Republican thinking that way. According to a Politico piece, Republican House members are also plotting returns to the offices they lost in 2006:

Four years after getting swept out of office by a Democratic tide, nearly one-third of the 21 GOP House members who lost reelection bids in 2006 are plotting their 2010 comebacks.

Some of them are running for their old seats. Others are looking at higher office. The common denominator is that the current environment has spurred them to re-enter the political fray after their careers were abruptly cut short.

"Every politician wants to run during a high tide for his or her party. Republicans have reason to believe that 2010 will be a high tide for them, certainly compared to the disastrous low tides in 2006 and 2008," said Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist. "We're not near November yet, but 2010 certainly looks to be a GOP year. It's a good time for redemption if you're a Republican."

Read on here.