This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Tampa • The day after her big speech at the Republican National Convention, Mia Love was juggling interviews with national news outlets while money poured into her campaign.
"I know we're going around and talking to as many people as we can," said Love, whose name was the top Google search term as of Wednesday afternoon.
Love had interviews scheduled Wednesday with CNN, ABC, NBC, NPR, Glenn Beck and was turning down others.
Boyd Matheson, who helped prepare Love for the speech said he warned her the flood would be coming.
"I told her, 'When you're done, fasten your seatbelt and put on your chinstrap,'" he said.
Her short time in the national spotlight — her speech ran just four minutes — had helped her raise more than $100,000 for her bid to oust Rep. Jim Matheson, a six-term Democratic congressman.
Following her speech Tuesday, her Wikipedia page was defaced with disparaging comments calling her a "sell-out to the Right Wing Hate Machine" and using a racial epithet.
Love said her children watched the speech with Love's sister back in Utah and were excited to see her on the national stage.
"They cheered, my sister told me," said Love. Her daughter asked if Love had changed some words from the version her daughter had heard earlier, and her son was telling his siblings they needed to keep quiet so he could hear the address.
Love is planning to leave Tampa Thursday. She is hosting a party to watch Romney's address to the convention Thursday night at a call center the party set up.
"I've got to focus on home," she said. "I've got to get home and collect information from the people in the 4th District."
— Robert GehrkeTwitter: @RobertGehrke