Shelly Headen is facing a backlash in North Carolina after resurfaced social posts drew condemnation from party officials and local news outlets, according to reports that first surfaced in mid-September.
WRAL reported that the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus announced it would no longer support Headen after old social media posts surfaced; the outlet said the caucus called the posts unacceptable.
The Assembly reported that some posts authored by Headen included calls for violence against political opponents and other inflammatory language, prompting rapid criticism from local leaders.
The Guilford County Democratic Party posted that it had withdrawn organizational support and condemned the posts, while noting that North Carolina election rules mean a candidate’s name cannot be removed from a finalized ballot.
Headen defended herself in an interview quoted by Carolina Journal, saying the posts were “a few angry moments” and comparing the criticism she received to that aimed at Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln.
Local outlets and opinion pages carried the story and urged voters to weigh the remarks; The Assembly and the Shelly Headen loses North Carolina Democratic backing piece in the site’s pool reported the party withdrawals and the posts that set off the controversy.
Because the party groups publicly cut ties, they said they would stop providing financial and organizational support to Headen’s campaign, though state and county statements noted legal limits on removing a candidate after ballots are finalized.
Readers should expect further statements from party officials or the campaign as the race continues; those updates will determine whether local organizations reverse course or take additional steps before Election Day.
Sources
- WRAL — reported the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus withdrew support and called the posts unacceptable.
- The Assembly — detailed the resurfaced posts and quoted specific inflammatory language that prompted criticism.
- Carolina Journal — published Headen’s defense, including her phrase “a few angry moments” and the comparison to historical figures.
- Guilford County Democratic Party (Facebook) — posted that it withdrew support and noted that candidate names cannot be removed from finalized ballots under state law.
