Heath Shuler

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Joseph Heath Shuler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 11th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 4, 2007
Preceded by	Charles H. Taylor
Born	December 31, 1971 (age 36) Bryson City, North Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Nikol Shuler
Residence	Waynesville, North Carolina
Alma mater	University of Tennessee
Profession	Real estate, Professional sports
Religion	Southern Baptist

Joseph Heath Shuler (born December 31, 1971) is a congressman and former professional football player. On November 7, 2006 Shuler was elected to the U.S. House as a Democrat from North Carolina's 11th congressional district (map). The district, based in Asheville, includes most of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina.

A former NFL quarterback and real-estate investor, Shuler was born in Bryson City, North Carolina, a small town in the Great Smoky Mountains. Shuler attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville from 1990-93. He and his family now live in Waynesville, North Carolina.

[edit] Athletic career

Heath Shuler's athletic career began at Swain County High School. He was a standout quarterback who drew plenty of scout attention, and accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Tennessee.

At Tennessee, Shuler gained national attention as one of the SEC's top quarterbacks. He held nearly all Volunteer passing records at the end of his career, although most of them were later shattered by Peyton Manning. In 1993, he came in second in the vote for the prestigious Heisman Trophy.

Shuler was a first round selection in the 1994 NFL Draft, taken by the Washington Redskins with the third overall pick. He held out of training camp until he received a 7-year, $19.25 million contract. The Redskins had fallen on hard times since winning Super Bowl XXVI, and Shuler was looked on as the quarterback of the future. However, Shuler's poor play contributed to a quarterback controversy with fellow 1994 draft pick Gus Frerotte. Shuler started only 18 games in his first two years with the team and was benched in his third year, as Frerotte went to the Pro Bowl.

After the 1996 season, Shuler was traded to the New Orleans Saints for a 5th round pick in the 1997 draft and a 3rd round pick in 1998. With less talent on the New Orleans roster, Shuler's statistics remained poor. He suffered a serious foot injury during the 1997 season in New Orleans and went through two surgeries.

After being unable to take the field due to his foot injury in his second season in New Orleans, Shuler signed with the Oakland Raiders, where he re-injured his foot in training camp and retired. As a pro, his career passer rating was a low 54.3 and in 2004 ESPN rated him the 17th biggest 'sports flop' of the past 25 years.^[1] In 2008, ESPN rated him the 4th biggest NFL Draft bust of all time.^[2]

[edit] Post-athletic career

After retiring from the NFL, Shuler returned to the University of Tennessee and completed his education, graduating with a degree in psychology. He then became a real estate professional in Knoxville, where he had starred in college. His real estate company is one of the largest independent firms in East Tennessee.

In 2003, Shuler moved back to western North Carolina. He now lives in Waynesville, 30 miles southwest of Asheville, with his wife Nikol and two children, Navy and Island.

[edit] Politics

In July 2005, Shuler announced his intentions to seek the Democratic nomination to run against eight-term incumbent Republican Charles H. Taylor. The district covers most of the Western North Carolina mountains where Shuler grew up.

On May 2, 2006, Shuler won the Democratic primary with nearly 75 percent of the vote. In the campaign, Shuler repeatedly accused Taylor for putting the interests of the Bush administration above those of the 11th, and pledged to be an "independent voice" for Western North Carolina. In turn, Taylor claimed that Shuler would be an extra vote for liberals in Congress who didn't share the 11th's values. While this tactic had worked well for Taylor before, it had somewhat less success in 2006 as Shuler is almost as conservative on social issues as Taylor. During the campaign, Shuler bought advertising time on several Christian radio stations, which is unusual for Democratic candidates.

In the November election, Shuler won with 54 percent of the vote to Taylor's 46 percent. He carried nine of the district's 15 counties, including several areas that had reliably supported Taylor over the years. He even carried Taylor's home county of Transylvania.

In interviews, Shuler has stated he is a Democrat because of the influence of his grandmother, who taught him that the Democratic Party had always fought for the poor and disenfranchised. However, he supported candidates from both parties in Tennessee, and Republican strategists had even tried to recruit him to run as a Republican on several occasions.

Shuler is fairly conservative by national Democratic standards, especially on social issues. He is against abortion rights and gun control. In 2008 he was instrumental in passing the FISA bill granting telecommunications companies immunity from prosecution for their involvement in warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, including his sending a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi encouraging her not to fight the bill. He also takes a hard line on illegal immigration. However, on economic and environmental matters, Shuler tends to vote more with his party.^[3] An ardent fiscal conservative, he is a member of the "Blue Dog Coalition," a group of moderate and conservative Democrats.

In 2007, Shuler introduced proposed legislation co-sponsored with Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina to require airlines to have sections of the aircraft where large movie screens would not be visible.^[4] No mention was made regarding airlines who use a safety video for In-flight safety demonstration.

Reportedly owing to his success in real estate, Shuler was named chairman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship.^[5] He is also a deputy majority whip.

[edit] Committee Assignments

• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
• Committee on Small Business
  • Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship (Chairman)
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

[edit] Electoral History

• 2006 Race for U.S. House of Representatives — North Carolina 11th District
  • Heath Shuler (D), 54%
  • Charles H. Taylor (R) (inc.), 46%

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Congressman Heath Shuler official U.S. House website
• Heath Shuler for Congress campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• North Carolina Democratic Party on Heath Shuler
• Career stats for Shuler
• NFL.com career stats
• Heath Shuler's Blog.