After months of rumors that Heath Shuler, former Swain County and University of Tennessee football star, would run against U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor, R-Brevard, in 2006, it’s now official. Shuler filed with the Federal Election Commission, a necessary step in order to begin raising money.

Shuler, 33, is a native of Bryson City. He married a woman from Haywood County and now lives in Waynesville. After leaving UT, Shuler got a $9 million contract to play with the Washington Redskins but retired early after a foot injury.

When his football career ended, Shuler started a successful real estate company based in Knoxville with offices in Clinton and Maryville, called Heath Shuler Real Estate. Shuler also breeds and trains labs for bird hunting on a 550-acre ranch.

Shuler has been registered to vote in Haywood County since September 2004 as a Democrat.

Political observers say beating an incumbent is tough, especially one as powerful as Taylor, who has been in Congress since 1990.

Gibbs Knotts, an assistant professor of political and associate dean of research and graduate studies at Western Carolina University, said incumbents win 90 percent of the time, largely due to name recognition. But Shuler’s name recognition could make him a “competitive” candidate for Taylor, more so than other candidates who have tried their hand in the past, Knotts said.

“We think he will be a very formidable candidate against Charles Taylor,” said Schorr Johnson, communications director for the N.C. Democratic Party. “We think it’s a great sign that a year and a half from election day someone with such high name recognition and who is a proud son of that part of the state is going to take on Congressman Taylor.”