Heath Shuler

Who is Heath Shuler?

Joseph Heath Shuler is an American businessman and former NFL quarterback who was the U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district from 2007 to 2013. He was a member of the Democratic Party and of the Blue Dog Coalition.

During his years in Congress, Shuler made a name for himself by challenging the leadership of his party, which he believed had moved too far to the left. In 2010 he ran against Nancy Pelosi for the post of minority leader. He knew he would lose, but also knew he would gain prominence as a leader of conservative and moderate Democrats. He was one of the leaders of the Blue Dog Democrats, whose numbers were severely diminished in the 2010 election, and had a lower profile in the national media than he had previously enjoyed.

Shuler's congressional district covered the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina; the largest city in the district is Asheville. On February 2, 2012, after a new district map removed Asheville from the district, making it considerably more Republican, Shuler announced his retirement from the House, and did not seek re-election to a fourth term.