Idiocracy?

According to Chris Petrella, one of the eight declared Republican candidates in the primary next May for the NC-11 Congressional seat currently held by Heath Shuler, “Any idiot who wants to have Congressman on their resume has decided to throw their hat in the ring.”

Ouch.

That's possibly going to cut down on his holiday party invitations.

The seven idiots, who, along with non-idiot Petrella, have declared their candidacies in the NC-11:

1. Dan 
Eichenbaum, 
ophthalmologist (who also ran in the same primary in 2010 -- came in 2nd with 34.21% of the primary vote ... Jeff Miller was the winner)

2. Spence 
Campbell, 
retired 
Army 
colonel (ditto, in 2008 -- came in 2nd to Carl Mumpower with 42.26 % of the primary vote)

3. Jeff
 Hunt, 
Henderson 
District 
Attorney

4. Chris 
Petrella, 
economic 
development 
consultant

5. Ed 
Krause, 
former 
Madison 
County 
School 
Board
 member (ran in the 2010 primary -- came in 5th with 3.59% of the vote)

6. Vance 
Patterson (ran in the 2010 primary against Patrick McHenry in the NC-10 -- came in 2nd to McHenry with 25.99% of the primary vote)

7. Mark 
Meadows, 
real 
estate 
investor

8. Kenny 
West, 
Clay 
County 
GOP 
Chair (ran in the 2010 primary in the NC-11 -- came in 4th with 7.95% of the vote)

Hattip for the list: Election Tracker, NCFEF