Today marks the debut of Rightroots, a new fundraising effort organized by conservative bloggers (myself included) to help 18 U.S. House and Senate candidates that we believe will give the GOP the boost it needs to retain control of Congress this November.

After several weeks of planning, John Hawkins of Right Wing News just informed me that we're ready to pull back the curtain and unveil the right's answer to the liberals' use of Internet fundraising, popularly known as Netroots.

What is our goal with Rightroots? It's really quite simple: Our coalition has identified 18 candidates who we feel represent the GOP's best chance to retain control of Congress and to enact a conservative agenda.

Under Hawkins' leadership, a group of conservative bloggers including myself, Mary Katherine Ham (Townhall), Erick Erickson (RedState), Patrick Hynes (Ankle Biting Pundits), Ed Morrissey (Captain's Quarters) and Lorie Byrd (Wizbang) strategized about who best could help us achieve our goal. The 18 candidates we selected represent a group we feel can fend off Democratic challengers and bolster the Republican Party on Capitol Hill.

You'll notice that no incumbents were identified and no Republican primary challengers are in the mix. That's a decision we made based on fundraising totals for incumbents and the long-term outlook for primary candidates. Governors, who are subject to different campaign-finance laws, were also excluded. Many factors went into who was ultimately identified as a Rightroots-approved candidate, and anyone not on our list shouldn't feel slighted.

What can you do to help? Start by visiting the Rightroots page at ABCPAC, which features profiles of the candidates and a tally of how much has been donated on their behalf. If you write for a blog, please link to this page. The more attention it gets, the more likely we are to succeed.

Here at HUMAN EVENTS, we'll identify Rightroots-approved candidates by including a special graphic when we write about them.

The coming days will be a crucial time period. This is your opportunity to make a difference. Help GOP candidates by logging on to Rightroots today.

UPDATE -- 9:28 a.m.: A few of the coalition members have posts about Rightroots.

Right Wing News: The Republican Answer To The Lefty Blogosphere's Netroots Endorsed Candidates

Wizbang!: Introducing Rightroots

Ankle Biting Pundits: Support the “Rightroots” Candidates

UPDATE -- 11:16 a.m.: The three other coalition members have weighed in with their thoughts. Here are links to their posts.

Captain's Quarters: Meet The Rightroots Candidates

RedState: Right Roots

Townhall: Get Your Rightroots Recommendations Right Here

UPDATE -- 2:06 p.m.: Danny Glover at National Journal's Beltway Blogroll just posted about Rightroots. Here's an excerpt:

The Rightroots project, which just launched today and is affiliated with ABC PAC, designates candidates for targeted fundraising. There are 14 House candidates and four Senate candidates on the roster for this year. The site had raised a total of $5,225 for the candidates at last check.