As far as Democrats go, Heath Shuler gives conservatives some reasons for cheer: he’s pro-life, pro-gun, and stopped voting for Nancy Pelosi to be Speaker. But he represents a deeply conservative section of western North Carolina, and his lifetime ACU rating is only 28.5.
In an R+6 district (and because of geography, the district can only change so much when the lines are redrawn), it would be low-hanging fruit for a conservative Republican candidate in an open seat race.
That seat might just open up, as Shuler is reportedly interested in a high-profile, non-political job, according to a Knoxville, Tennessee sports radio host Tony Basilio:
Yes, Shuler is in play. Yes he did call Phillip Fulmer and Johnny Majors to get their thoughts on this potential opportunity but he hasn’t been offered the job. In fact, Tennessee hasn’t ‘offered’ the job to anybody as of yet. I was told last night that UT is being ‘as deliberate as possible’ in this search for the next AD. In fact my source stressed to me that ‘we promised we were going to take our time and find the right person and that’s just what we’re going to do here.’ OK. Hard to argue with that…
But, the memo here is don’t count out Shuler. He’s on the radar screen and anything can happen. I wouldn’t rule out anyone but Fulmer at this point. Lang Wiseman could still get that job before it’s over.
For those not familiar with Shuler’s ties to the University of Tennessee, Basilio runs down his resume: “Former Vol All American QB. Loved equally by Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer. Left UT as perhaps the most popular player in school history to that point. A household name in both college and professional football. An almost Heisman Trophy winner (finished 2nd) during his time on The Hill.”
I suspect the NRCC will be offering opposition research on the other possible UT athletic director candidates…