A virtuous circle is ‘a complex of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop.’ One timely example is the current climate for Republicans in the midterm elections: good political news encourages stronger candidates to emerge, which dispirits Democrats and encourages desperation, which prompts better candidates to emerge, which dispirits Democrats…

Case in point, Heath Shuler’s re-election bid in North Carolina’s 11th district. Local leaders and the NRCC had heavily recruited Jeff Miller last year; he declined. But for whatever reason, he has now changed his mind, and seems likely to be a very tough candidate:

Although he said in October that he would not seek the Republican nomination, the Honor Air founder and Hendersonville businessman confirmed Thursday that he plans to run, but said it was too early in the process to make a bigger announcement…

“My wife, son, very close friends and veterans asked me to reconsider,” Miller said. “My family and I circled up, and we are close to making an announcement.”

Miller said he was exhausted last fall. He organizes Honor Air flights, which take World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the World War II Memorial. Last year was the largest Honor Air season, he said, and he was not prepared to think seriously about a run for Congress.

Miller said he had numerous people contact him last fall to voice their support. He believes he’s the right candidate, saying he’s not a professional politician, and he has been a successful businessman.

To be clear, there are already several GOP candidates in the race. They include Former Hendersonville Mayor Greg Newman, businessman Kenny West, ophthalmologist Dr. Dan Eichenbaum and attorney Ed Krause. But Miller may pose the toughest challenge for Shuler. The district was previously considered ‘Likely Democratic,’ despite its 6-point Republican lean. We’ll see if Miller (or another candidate) can move that needle.

There’s more about Honor Air here. Or, watch the video below: