GOP Young Gun to Challenge Shuler in NC?

Ethan Wingfield, a 26-year-old businessman from North Carolina, is considering a bid to run against congressman Heath Shuler, one of the last remaining so-called Blue Dog Democrats in the House of Representatives. Wingfield told Roll Call in an interview that he was "seriously exploring" running for office:

In an interview with Roll Call, Wingfield said he was gauging his support in the district, which includes most of the western part of the Tar Heel State. He will make a decision on a run in the next few weeks.

Wingfield, a 26-year-old graduate of Brown University, was most recently a strategic consultant for Capital One bank. He has the potential to be a partial self-funder.

He knocked Shuler for making himself “into a minority member of the minority party in the House in a way that limits his ability to do good things for the district” and said the district was ready for a new Congressman.

Shuler held on to his seat through the 2010 Republican sweep and unsuccessfully challenged Nancy Pelosi for House minority leader earlier this year. Roll Call notes that after North Carolina's redistricting, Shuler's Eleventh Congressional District is considerably more Republican going into 2012, giving the GOP nominee a potentially better shot of flipping the seat. If he runs, Wingfield will face a crowded Republican primary field.