He's a not terribly exciting middling liberal from Western NC. He's raised some money and stroked his way around the Dem establishment.
Bobby Etheridge occupies much of the same ground, but from a different geography. Perdue has been paying him 6 figures in various made-up govt jobs ever since he lost.
McIntyre could not win given the way the moonbats have taken over the Democratic Party.
There's an opening for a liberal outsider to run but not a lot of time before the primary so they've have to self-fund.
Shuler is far more conservative on social issues than is Etheridge; they’re both just as liberal on economic issues. If the moonbats are so strong within the NC RAT Party that they could prevent a qualified, experienced candidate such as McIntyre from winning the gubernatorial nomination, then I don’t think that a lightweight who is nonetheless pro-life, pro-gun and pro-marriage such as Shuler can beat Etheridge in the primary.