A Democratic candidate for the North Carolina Legislature has been publicly disavowed by her party following the resurfacing of inflammatory social media posts. Shelly Headen, who is running for the state House District 62 seat against Republican incumbent John Blust, remains on the ballot despite the rebuke, as the deadline to withdraw was August 20 and ballots have already been distributed to voters.

Headen’s posts, made approximately a year ago, included statements calling for an attack on U.S. soil specifically targeting so-called "red states" such as Alabama and Louisiana. In one post, she wrote, “I think our only hope is an attack on US Soil . . . preferably Alabama, Louisiana . . . where the stupid people live.” She also compared former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, asserting that the damage caused by Trump was “getting close to surpassing Hitler” and describing the “MAGA cult” as potentially “more destructive and evil than the Nazis.”

A particular point of controversy involved a Facebook image showing Headen at the Dachau concentration camp memorial in Germany with a caption reading, “This is where Trump supporters belong.” Headen has denied posting this edited image, suggesting it was manipulated to add the words over a real photograph. When questioned about the posts by WFDD public radio, Headen said she did not recall making them, apologized to anyone hurt by the comments, and acknowledged the party’s decision to withdraw support.

The North Carolina House Democratic Caucus and a local county party organization issued statements condemning Headen’s remarks. The caucus described the posts as “unacceptable” and said they do not reflect the values expected of Democratic candidates. They further stated that the party “condemns these comments without qualification and will not support Shelly Headen’s candidacy.”

Despite the party's disavowal, Headen remains an active candidate, with early voting underway in the general election. The controversy has drawn attention to the challenges political parties face in managing candidate conduct on social media and the impact of statements made outside traditional campaign settings.