Shelly Headen, the Democratic candidate for North Carolina House District 62, lost official backing from the state House Democratic Caucus after resurfaced social media posts that appear to call for violence against Republicans and conservatives, The Assembly reported.
The Assembly’s reporting, echoed by the Washington Examiner and local outlets, shows the caucus said it “will no longer support Shelly Headen,” with communications director Sam Lozier saying Headen’s posts “are unacceptable and do not reflect the values we expect of our candidates.”
The posts cited by reporters include a 2024 X (formerly Twitter) message in which Headen wrote, “I’m so excited! Ready for the MAGAs to die off!!” and a Facebook comment calling for an “attack on US soil … preferably Alabama, Louisiana … where the stupid people live,” according to The Assembly.
Headen told The Assembly she “can’t remember what I’ve posted” and has declined to take herself off the ballot, saying she will continue to run. The Assembly reported she paid $30,000 to a consulting firm to review her social accounts for problematic material.
State party leaders said they could not replace her name on the ballot because the statutory deadline passed and mail-in ballots had already begun going out, The Assembly reported.
Republicans amplified the posts: House Speaker Destin Hall called one comment “absolutely disgusting” on X, and the House Republican caucus circulated screenshots to raise questions about Headen’s candidacy, the Washington Examiner said.
Local reporting in the Guilford County area and coverage in the Winston-Salem Journal documented the same posts and the Guilford County Democrats’ decision to withdraw support, noting the contest’s importance to control of the state House.
Headen has denied owning some accounts but acknowledged she has been vocal against MAGA, according to The Assembly. The Assembly also published verbatim excerpts of her online comments and a statement from the House Democratic Caucus condemning the posts.
Several recent state-level controversies over candidates’ social media have led local parties to disown nominees; readers can compare related cases on this site, including other candidates who lost support over posts.
Internal links: Nazi-image posts and post targeting UT students.
Sources
- The Assembly — reported the House Democratic Caucus statement, Headen quotes, the $30,000 consulting fee, and that mail-in ballots were already going out.
- Washington Examiner — published the caucus quote that it “will no longer support Shelly Headen” and repeated several verbatim social posts.
- Winston-Salem Journal (JournalNow) — local coverage of Guilford County reaction and reporting on the party withdrawal.
