Labour hopes it can win back the Western Isles at the next General Election despite the constituency's omission from a list of the party's top targets for 2015.
Party insiders believe they have a good chance of taking the seat, which was held by Labour for almost two decades until 2005.
Although sitting SNP MP Angus MacNeil increased his majority from 1441 in 2005 to just under 2000 in 2010, Labour strategists believe a concerted push could narrow the gap and even allow them to win the constituency.
The party also believes a number of local issues, including the ongoing row over the interconnector, the subsea energy cable designed as a link to the mainland, could lead to change.
Shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran is due to visit the Western Isles later this summer as part of a tour of Scotland.
A party source said: "It is a seat we want to win. People should not read too much into the fact that it was not on the initial list of top target seats."
In part because it was not selected as a key battleground, Labour has yet to select a candidate to fight the Western Isles in 2015.
Selection contests for target constituencies are ongoing at the moment, although the process has been halted in Falkirk after allegations the union Unite attempted to manipulate the outcome.
When the initial 106 target seats for 2015 were unveiled the list itself raised eyebrows.
It outlined the party's ambition to unseat two Coalition ministers north of the Border in 2015, Conservative Scotland Office minister David Mundell and the Liberal Democrat Business minister Jo Swinson.
Other LibDems targeted include Alan Reid, the MP for Argyll and Bute, and Mike Crockart, the Edinburgh West MP.
While the Western Isles was omitted, the party did list the Dundee East seat held by the SNP's Stewart Hosie.
At the time the seats were unveiled Mr Watson said the party was confident it would secure at least a 60-seat majority in 2015.
However, the list was criticised by some for putting too much emphasis on the benefits of any national swing to Labour, rather than focusing on seats judged winnable on a range of criteria.
Another notable omission was Bradford West, where Respect's George Galloway scored a shock by-election victory over Labour last April.
The SNP plans to fight the 2015 general election even if the party wins the independence referendum next year.
The nationalists argue Scottish MPs could become even more important if there is a Yes vote, as they would be in a prime position to argue for a good settlement for Scotland.
The SNP currently holds not only the Western Isles Westminster seat but the Holyrood constituency as well.
Before 2005 the Westminster seat was held by the Labour's Calum MacDonald, who was first elected as the local MP in 1987.
An SNP spokesman said: "This is a bad blunder by Labour – people hate politicians taking their votes for granted, which is exactly what Labour are doing.
"The SNP have provided strong representation for Na h-Eileanan an Iar at both Westminster and Holyrood, and we are content for local people to judge us on our record and ambition."
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