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Shuler Scores with Duke Energy

Dem Rep. Shuler heads to big-time Dem donor Duke Energy

Heath Shuler / AP
November 27, 2012

Rep. Heath Shuler (D., N.C.), who is leaving Congress in January, has already found a lucrative new job at Duke Energy, a firm whose president is a major Democratic fundraiser and which has received more than $200 million in stimulus funds from the Obama administration.

The Hill reports:

The Charlotte-based company, which has more than seven million customers and plenty of interests before regulators and Congress, announced Monday that Shuler will be senior vice president of federal affairs beginning in January.

The conservative Democrat won’t vote on any matters affecting Duke Energy for the remainder of his time in Congress, the company said in a statement that touted the hiring of the one-time Washington Redskins quarterback.

"Heath is well known in Washington for working with leaders from both political parties and for bringing people together in his district in Western North Carolina," said Keith Trent, a vice president with Duke Energy's regulated utilities.

As previously reported by the Free Beacon, Duke CEO Jim Rogers is a major Democratic fundraiser and financier who offered the party a $10 million line of credit for its 2012 national convention:

Rogers, the CEO of Duke Energy Corp., one of the largest utility corporations in the country, has given generously to Democratic politicians over the years. Along with his wife, Mary Anne, he has contributed more than $210,000 to Democratic candidates and committees since 2008, more than double what the couple has given to Republicans. Of that figure, more than $150,000 went to the Democratic National Committee (DNC); $19,200 went to President Obama.

Rogers is co-chairing the host committee with Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx (D), who was elected to a second term in November 2011. Rogers and his wife both contributed $8,000 to Foxx’s campaign, the maximum allowed under state law.

Rogers has also done his part to make sure that the convention has access to plenty of cash. The Charlotte Observer reported that Rogers was "quietly raising" as much as $15 million for the DNC.

Additionally, in an effort to entice the DNC to Charlotte, Rogers and Duke Energy offered to open a $10 million line of credit—guaranteed by Duke shareholders—to help finance the convention. […]

Just as Rogers has helped fund Democratic politicians, they, in turn, have helped steer massive amounts of federal funding to Duke Energy. The 2009 stimulus package, for instance, was a boon for the company: Duke received federal grants totaling $230.4 million for a number of "green" energy projects including "smart grid" development and wind energy storage.

According to Recovery.gov, Duke created 196.6 jobs as a result of the grants.