2006 Re-election Campaign
In 2006, Taylor's Democratic opponent was Heath Shuler, a native of Swain County and a former quarterback for the University of Tennessee and the Washington Redskins.
Shuler repeatedly attacked Taylor for not standing up more often for the 11th's interests. For example, he blasted Taylor for missing the CAFTA vote, pointing out that according to the House roll call, he'd voted 11 times on the same day CAFTA came up for a vote. Taylor, for his part, claimed that Shuler would be an extra vote for Nancy Pelosi.
On October 27, 2006, the Associated Press reported that Taylor had raised $3.6 million for the campaign as of October 18, including $2.2 million of his own money, and had spent all but $136,000 of the funds raised, as of that date.
Shuler defeated Taylor, taking 54 percent of the vote to Taylor's 46 percent. Taylor lost nine of the district's 15 counties, including several areas that had supported him for years. He even lost his home county of Transylvania. Taylor conceded defeat at 10:35 pm on election night.
In December 2007, Taylor announced that he would not seek a rematch with Shuler in 2008.
Read more about this topic: Charles H. Taylor
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