I was surprised that Shuler hadn’t announced his retirement earlier, since it would have been nearly impossible for him to win in the redrawn NC-11. This makes it a 100% certain GOP pickup.
The question now is, will Shuler run for governor instead? He recently said that he wouldn’t, but with Erskine Bowles nt running there will be a lot of pressure on what NC Democrats refer to as a “conservative Democrat” to run. But my gut tells me that Shuler won’t run, and that Congressman Mike McIntyre, who actually is a conservative Democrat and whose district was redrawn to make it extremely difficult for him to win reelection (with his Lumberton base and heavily Dem precincts in Wilmington stripped out and replaced with heavily Republican and exurban Johnston County), will run instead.
As you may know, Bob Etheridge is running for Governor. It will be interesting if a whole batch of Congressmembers decide to take a run and form a circular firing squad while Pat McCrory waits to take on the damaged Dem nominee. Of course, at the rate we’re going, McCrory may be the only thing to win in NC if Slick Willard hijacks the nomination.
Unmentioned among the rats for Governor is the current LT, Walter Dalton who is in the race (Perdue’s choice?).
I know jack about him except that he won his current office 51-46 in 2008 and was a State Senator before that.