NC Democrat Candidate Remains on Ballot After Party Withdrawal Over Inflammatory Posts
Shelly Headen, running for the state legislature, faces condemnation for resurfaced social media comments comparing Trump to Hitler and suggesting attacks on US soil.
A North Carolina Democrat seeking a state legislative seat remains on the ballot despite her party's withdrawal of support following the resurfacing of controversial social media posts. Shelly Headen, a candidate for North Carolina House District 62, is challenging Republican state Rep. John Blust.
Headen's resurfaced posts, which gained national attention after being shared by the White House Rapid Response account, include statements such as, “I think our only hope is an attack on US Soil … preferably Alabama, Louisiana … where the stupid people live.” She also reportedly compared President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, stating that the damage done by Trump was “getting close to surpassing Hitler” and that the “MAGA cult may be more destructive and evil than the Nazis.” One post allegedly featured Headen at the Dachau concentration camp memorial with the caption, “This is where Trump supporters belong.”
The North Carolina House Democratic Caucus and the Guilford County Democratic Party have both publicly condemned Headen's remarks. The House Democratic Caucus stated, "Shelly Headen’s posts are unacceptable and do not reflect the values we expect of our candidates." The Guilford County Democratic Party declared, "We unequivocally reject and condemn the social media posts by Shelly Headen. These statements violate everything our party represents."
Despite the party's stance, Headen remains a candidate because the deadline to withdraw from the race was August 20. Ballots for the general election, which began being sent to voters on September 4, were finalized before the party withdrew its support.
Headen has offered a mixed response to the controversy. To the Greensboro News and Record, she denied posting the concentration camp image with the accompanying text, suggesting it may have been edited. However, in an interview with The Assembly, she described her posts as "a few angry moments" and said, "MAGA will keep winning if we continue with not standing up for what’s right."
She also told WFDD, a public radio station, that she did not remember making the posts but apologized for any hurt they caused, acknowledging the party's decision to withdraw support. In a recent statement to The Rhino Times, Headen mentioned receiving death threats and expressed a desire to protect herself and her family, noting that her social media accounts are no longer accessible.
Republicans have amplified the controversy. North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall called Headen's comments "Absolutely disgusting." The North Carolina House Republicans' X account stated that Headen "just posted that she wants an attack on US soil."
This situation follows a separate controversy where State House Republicans released incident reports involving Headen and her husband. Headen stated that these reports stemmed from domestic arguments that escalated, and she accused Republicans of using a private family matter for political gain.