Heath Shuler seriously considering running for North Carolina Senate in 2016

[NYCButterfinger]

Former U.S. Congressman Heath Shuler, a Blue Dog Democrat who served the Western North Carolina area of the state from 2007 to 2013, is seriously considering running for Senate against current Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.). Shuler is now a lobbyist. Some Democrats think that Shuler may be the best candidate to run against Burr. I like Heath Shuler, he was a decent quarterback, not great, he was good at the University of Tennessee.

Shuler ran for House Democratic Leader against Nancy Pelosi in 2010, but lost.

I did not like Shuler's votes on certain issues in the House, he was seen as too conservative in some areas, but he is a good prospect for this Senate seat. If Shuler is the only Democrat that will be running, he may make this seat change from Likely R to Lean R/Tossup. I can see myself supporting Heath Shuler if he runs a good campaign and focuses on the issues facing the country. We will see.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/health-shuler-is-exploring-a-north-carolina-senate-run-20150806

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article30398091.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/print-edition/2013/11/15/calling-signals-for-dukes-dc.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Shuler

[dsc]

1. I have to say he would be very hard for me to vote for

If he were our 50 or 51st seat then I could manage it but otherwise I might not be able to hold my nose enough. Now if he pulls a Gillibrand and changes his positions to be more like the state and less like his district then I could.

[Cosmocat]

2. He is what he is

A literal blue dog ...

The kind of d you have to take in a sothern state, but you gotta know he isnt a progressive, just more of an old school non deranged republican who will caucus as a democrat.

[mmonk]

3. I live in NC. I have no interest in voting for him.

The Democratic Party lost NC with such a strategy.

[Persondem]

4. I live in NC and would vote for him over Burr but ...

... there are a lot of people I would prefer to vote for over him. Brad Miller comes to mind as does Jerry Meek. I would even prefer Kay Hagan gave it another shot. With the turnout from a presidential year and with perhaps HRC at the top of the ticket she could beat Burr.

Let's face it, a conservative democrat is an ok fit for NC. Shuler had to lean right to get elected in the western mountains so there's a chance Senator Shuler may be more moderate.

[Chan790]

5. Fsck No!

If elected, he immediately displaces Joe Manchin as the Democratic Senator who should most jump ship and just become a Republican already.

I'm not even sure he's an improvement on Burr. That's problematically sad.

Just say no to fake Democrats!

[dsc]

6. His vote for leader makes him a vast improvement over Burr

especially if he provides the 50th or 51st such vote.

[Chan790]

7. No, it doesn't.

His vote for leader is less important than the 100s or 1000s of concessions to his RW policies we will have to make over 6 years to win him over as the deciding vote on major legislation. A Democratic-majority-by-one Senate where Shuler is the by-one is a GOP-controlled Senate.

What pray-tell are we going to have to give him to stop him from voting to repeal Obamacare? Passing new abortion restrictions? Passing new union-busting legislation? Killing efforts at gun-control? Hamstringing the nomination process to insure he gets a sufficiently-conservative SCOTUS appointee?

Is having the majority worth having to give in on every single major Democratic initiative for 6 year to re-secure his RW vote? I can answer that one: "No, it's not even close to worth it!"

[dsc]

8. Yes it does

There is no vote to repeal Obamacare if a Democrat is majority leader. There are no votes for abortion restrictions if a Democrat is majority leader. I admit gun control would likely be an issue but he would be far from the only problem there. If the GOP is a majority then any Democratic SCOTUS picks would have to be vetted by a GOP judiciary committee in a Democratic Senate it would be a Democratic one.