We don't have to flip states to make a difference.

Just having a name on the ballot is not very expensive, but it does give us a voice in the debate.

If we don't show up and field a candidate, it makes us look weak or afraid to debate. It reinforces the idea they have that we can't support our positions because they are indefensible. So stand there and say your piece. Even if you don't win — and you likely won't — you will gain a modicum of respect for defending your beliefs. That incrementally changes the caricature the other side has about us, and opens the door for future gains. It also affects the national conversation; our ideas can get repeated on radio call-in shows, letters to the editor, and so on. Giving up without a fight does none of that.

There is always the possibility that a Republican candidate will be engulfed in a scandal big enough to turn off voters. If we have a candidate ready to fill the void, we have a chance at taking that seat; if we don't, that opportunity is lost.