Absolutely!!
It will get less press than the House and Senate races, but the rebuilding of the farm system through the Governorships and state houses may be the most critical development in this election. The difficulties the GOP had starting in ‘06 had their infancy probably as far back as the late 1990’s and certainly after the election of President Bush. Governorships and state houses were lost depleting our ability to put strong candidates into position for national races.
The Tea Party movement has played a significant role in producing a new set of candidate for future runs at the Senate and White House.