Heath Shuler

Heath Shuler

Joseph Heath Shuler (born December 31, 1971) is a businessman, a former NFL quarterback, and the U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, serving since 2007. Shuler's district covers the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina; the largest city in the district is Asheville. He is a member of the Democratic Party and of the Blue Dog Coalition.

During his years in Congress Shuler has made a name for himself by challenging the leadership of his party, which he believes has 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 is now one of the leaders of the Blue Dog Democrats, whose numbers were severely diminished in the 2010 election, and has had a lower profile in the national media than he had previously enjoyed.

The district covers the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina and 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.