Former Congressman Heath Shuler eyeing return to politics

David Thompson | Asheville Citizen Times

Former North Carolina Congressman Heath Shuler said Friday that he was contacted by Democrats and Republicans to run for Mark Meadows' open seat in Congress but has declined the offer and instead pointed toward a political run in 2024.

Meadows, a staunch conservative who has grown in national prominence since his election in 2012, announced on Dec. 19 that he will retire after representing Western North Carolina in Congress for four terms.

Shuler declined to share the names of the members of Congress who contacted him but said they told him "they don't care what side you run on, but to get up here."

A former NFL quarterback for the Washington Redskins who played college football at Tennessee after graduating from Swain County High, Shuler represented the 11th congressional district from 2007-13 and was a member of the self-described "Blue Dog" Democrat coalition. He is currently a volunteer assistant football coach at Christ School, a private high school where his son, Navy, attends.

Shuler told the Citizen Times that he would run as a Democrat and is considering a bid for Congress, the Senate and even governor.

"I had a 73% approval rating when I left office, and I don't think people will forget how I represented the district," Shuler said. "We need adults in Washington, and when I was there, I brought people together to pass legislation that was for the American people."

Shuler said he left Congress in 2013 to focus on family, and that's why he'll wait to run until 2024. His youngest daughter, Island, is a freshman in high school.

"I want to wait until she's in college," he said, "even though right now is probably the best time to run with this current political atmosphere. I'm keeping my options open."