Back on Home Turf

With a population of more than 600,000, the 15 counties that make up the 11th district are primarily bucolic and conservative. Shuler's résumé and pedigree fall to the right of where most would put the national Democratic Party, says George Peery, a political scientist at Mars Hill College just north of Asheville. "But remember, this is mountainous, rural, retiree-influx western North Carolina." That makes Shuler an attractive Democrat, he says.

Against a backdrop of President Bush's low approval numbers and the Iraq war, Taylor may be vulnerable, Peery says. "If 5 to 8 percent of 11th district voters break with what they have done for the past three or four elections, Taylor will lose and the Democratic candidate can win." To boot, a recent Wall Street Journal story suggests that Taylor, a multimillionaire from Brevard, has profited from some of his legislative decisions. Taylor denies the correlation.

Taylor has stalwart supporters, even in Shuler's home county -- Swain. Charlene Blankenship, who sells insurance in Shuler's home town of Bryson City, is voting for Taylor. She says the congressman's office provides excellent service when someone has trouble with veterans benefits or senior citizens issues. And Taylor, 65, sits on powerful committees. He is chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on the interior, environment and related agencies and a member of the Appropriations subcommittee on science, the departments of State, Justice and Commerce. He tells voters that he has delivered more than $26 billion in federal funds to district projects such as the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Carl Sandburg Home.

Shuler "talks the talk," says Blankenship, 40, "but he doesn't walk the walk." He lacks experience "and he accepts contributions from San Francisco liberals and New York liberals."

People on both sides decry the tear-'em-down tenor of the campaign. In half the ads, the candidates accuse each other; in the other half, they excuse themselves.

"Charlie Taylor stirs up fierce emotions," says Ferrel Guillory, director of the Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life at the University of North Carolina. "Like a lot of these races, it's gotten lowdown and personal."

Right on Issues

Asheville, the largest city in the district with 70,000 people, is one funky place. It's a mellow melange of hill people and hippies, mountain geezers and young gay folks. You might pass a vegan cafe on the way to the NASCAR track. Or a head shop en route to the decades-old Christian Bookshop -- owned by Robert and Sheila Doom -- in west Asheville. "We've backed Charles Taylor for years," says Sheila Doom, 67. "He's more in line with the foundations of our country. We like his stand on abortion."

A few blocks away from the Dooms' shop is Shuler's unassuming headquarters. A drab place with paneled walls, the nerve center is on the second floor of a ragtag office building, above a barber shop. Brochures at the front desk tout Shuler as an antiabortion Democrat and a member of the National Rifle Association. There are photos of him in a Redskins uniform. A wood and brass barometer hangs on a wall; the needle points to "change."

On this late-October afternoon, Shuler is receiving the endorsement of the Alliance for Retired Americans. In the union hall, he looks big. Though he's gained 20 pounds since his NFL days, he's still in good shape. His foot hurts sometimes, so does his hip.

When he takes the lectern, he tells the crowd of two dozen that he wants to create high-paying jobs so smart young people will have good reason to stay in North Carolina. And he wants to protect Medicare and Social Security payments for the elderly.

Afterward, he says he is proud to be a "Blue Dog" Democrat, conservative on issues such as abortion and gay marriage. On her way out the door, Shuler supporter Delena Hoover, 66, says, "We're going to have to clean out Washington and start anew."

Whenever anybody asks him, "What makes you a Democrat?" he invariably replies, "I believe in helping those who can't help themselves." He supports alternative energy options and a higher minimum wage.