He actually was being pushed to run as a Republican by the GOP in 2004 in Tenessee. Shuler decided against it, then moved back to his home town in Western North Carolina, and then got pressured by the dems to run.
Shuler is a social conservative, but not an economic one. He is opposed to free trade deals for example, but they aren't really popular out here anyways.
Then why did he join the party of abortion and gay marriage, if he is a social conservative.