A North Carolina Democrat running for state legislature remains on the ballot for House District 62 despite her party publicly disavowing her after inflammatory social media posts resurfaced. Shelly Headen is challenging Republican state Rep. John Blust in Guilford County.
The North Carolina House Democratic Caucus and a county party group condemned posts made by Headen, which included suggesting an attack on U.S. soil targeting red states and comparing former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. One post reportedly stated, "I think our only hope is an attack on US Soil … preferably Alabama, Louisiana … where the stupid people live."
Other resurfaced comments included claims 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." According to Breitbart, a Facebook post by Headen pictured her at the Nazi concentration camp in Dachau, Germany, with text stating, "This is where Trump supporters belong." Headen has denied posting the image with the text, suggesting it may have been edited.
These comments gained national attention after being shared by the White House Rapid Response account on X. Republicans have amplified the controversy, with North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall calling Headen's comments "Absolutely disgusting."
Headen's candidacy is complicated by ballot deadlines. The filing deadline to withdraw from the race was August 20, and general election ballots were finalized and sent to voters beginning September 4, leaving her unable to be removed from the ballot.
In response to the furor, the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus stated, "Shelly Headen’s posts are unacceptable and do not reflect the values we expect of our candidates." The caucus added that it "condemns these comments without qualification and will not support Shelly Headen’s candidacy." Similarly, the Guilford County Democratic Party issued a statement unequivocally rejecting and condemning the posts, announcing the immediate withdrawal of all support.
Headen has made conflicting statements about the posts. She told WFDD, a public radio station, that she did not remember making them but apologized to those hurt by them, acknowledging the party's decision to withdraw support. However, in an interview with The Assembly, a North Carolina news operation, she defended them as "a few angry moments." She also told The Assembly, "If a few angry moments on social media are the end, then so be it. MAGA will keep winning if we continue with not standing up for what’s right."
Headen has reported receiving death threats and has stated she wants to protect herself and her family, leading her to take down her social media pages. "My whole world has been collapsing," she told the Rhino Times.
This controversy follows a separate incident earlier in the month when State House Republicans released sheriff's office incident reports involving Headen and her husband. The reports, which identified the alleged domestic offense as physical assault, listed Headen as the suspect. Headen stated that during a stressful period in their marriage, arguments escalated, and during one, her husband grabbed her, causing her to fall. She also described herself as having experienced abuse and accused Republicans of using a private family matter for political gain.