2014 Election: Snapshot of U.S. House race in WNC
About the race: This used to be a toss-up district, but clever redrawing of voting boundaries by the Republican-led legislature in Raleigh two years ago tipped the scales to the right. The liberal stronghold of Asheville was carved out and shunted it into a different Congressional seat.
From 2006-2012, the seat was held by Heath Shuler, a self-described conservative Democratic and former football star. But Shuler threw his party for a loop at the 11th hour by deciding not to run in 2012. Shuler’s own chief of staff was the only dog the Democrats could muster for a last-minute run. But it was to no avail, however. The seat went Republican, and the race will probably be a cakewalk for the one-term Mark Meadows seeking re-election.
About the candidates:
•U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, has been serving in Congress for two years. He came under fire during his first term after being labeled the “architect of the brink” for his role in advocating for the federal government shut down. One claim to fame: he’s opened a constituent office in every county in the large mountain district, the only Congressman serving this district to do so. He has been well-received by the national Republican players in Washington.
• Tom Hill, D-Zirconia, is making another run for this congressional seat. The candidate has a Ph.D. in physics from UNC-Chapel Hill and worked in the aerospace field with the U.S. Department of Defense. During the 2012 race, Hill listed the costs of “unwinnable wars” and collecting taxes from “deadbeat corporations” as some of his key concerns.
