Shuler reiterates he’s not running for Senate

Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) is not running for Senate. And he’ll say it again if you really want him to.

After state Attorney General Roy Cooper (D) last month opted not to run against Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), talk again turned to Shuler, who has previously said he wouldn’t run for Senate. And party leaders did little to quiet the chatter, with a few actually feeding it.

One denial not being enough, Shuler offered another Monday:

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler shot down speculation today that he is still pondering a run for Senate.

“I am not running for Senate,” the second-term Democrat said after a ground-breaking ceremony for a new building at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest Station in Asheville. “I am not running for Senate. I am not running for Senate. I have said that a thousand times, and I don’t know why they keep coming up (with the idea). Of course they keep coming up and running polls.”