CHICAGO  —  Erika Harold (search) may be a former Miss America but the 2003 title-holder has been busier than ever.

Harold will be a law student at Harvard this fall. But before heading off to Cambridge from her home state of Illinois, she has a scheduled stop in New York where she'll be a delegate to the Republican National Convention (search).

She'll be there as President Bush (search) formally accepts the party nomination. Some Republicans hope it will be the first of many campaign events for the former beauty queen.

"I would be very interested in considering the possibility of running for public office," Harold said.

She already has fans in conservative circles, in part because she regularly talks to young people about abstaining from sex. On the issue of abortion (search), Harold describes herself as pro-life.

The bright hope that Harold represents is rare good news this year for the GOP in a state where John Kerry (search) enjoys a double-digit lead over Bush and the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate is leading his Republican rival by better than two-to-one.

Click on the video link near the top of this story to watch a report by FOX News' Steve Brown.