target (someone or something) as (something)
To intend or aim for someone or something to become something or serve some purpose. The party targeted her as a viable presidential candidate very early on. We're targeting May as the launch period for our next product.
target someone or something as something
to aim at someone or something as something; to choose someone or something as someone or something. The board targeted Alice as a potential candidate. We targeted the first of August as the starting date.