--- title: "NC Democrat Shelly Headen remains on ballot after party disavowal" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/nc-democrat-shelly-headen-remains-on-ballot-after-party-disavowal" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/nc-democrat-shelly-headen-remains-on-ballot-after-party-disavowal" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/nc-democrat-shelly-headen-remains-on-ballot-after-party-disavowal.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/nc-democrat-shelly-headen-remains-on-ballot-after-party-disavowal" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-18T23:05:13.204Z" source_reported: "2026-09-18T22:39:34.959Z" updated: "2026-09-18T23:05:13.204Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 70 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-18T23:00:52.348126+00:00" --- # NC Democrat Shelly Headen remains on ballot after party disavowal *Candidate faces criticism for social media posts comparing MAGA movement to Nazis.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to named bodies and specific dates provided, with some anonymous sourcing. - Craft 70 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes quotes from affected parties and names specific dates and locations. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headline accurately reflects the article's content, with mild emphasis. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Shelly Headen, a Democrat running for the North Carolina state legislature, remains on the ballot for her House District 62 seat. - Headen's party, including the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus and the Guilford County Democratic Party, has publicly withdrawn support for her candidacy. - The disavowal follows resurfaced social media posts in which Headen compared President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement to Nazis and suggested attacks on U.S. soil. - Headen stated that the deadline to withdraw from the race had passed before the controversy gained national attention, and ballots were already being sent to voters. Shelly Headen, a Democratic candidate for the North Carolina state legislature, remains on the ballot for House District 62 despite her party publicly abandoning her. The North Carolina House Democratic Caucus and the Guilford County Democratic Party have both condemned social media posts made by Headen. These posts included comparisons of President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement to Nazis, and suggestions for attacks on U.S. soil targeting red states. Headen is unable to withdraw from the race because the filing deadline to do so was August 20, according to Headen. Ballots for the general election began to be sent out starting September 4. Headen told WFDD, a public radio station, that she did not remember making the posts but apologized to anyone hurt by them. She also stated she understood the party's decision to withdraw support. ## Disagreement on Dachau image Breitbart reported that Headen posted an image of herself at the Dachau concentration camp with text targeting Trump supporters. Headen denied this to the Greensboro News and Record, stating she believed the image was edited. The New York Ledger and democraticaccent.com reported Headen's denial. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports mention that Shelly Headen also told The Assembly, a North Carolina news operation, that she defended her posts as 'a few angry moments' and that 'MAGA will keep winning if we continue with not standing up for what’s right.' The left-rated side did not run this story at all. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 17% (1) - Right: 83% (5) 0 of 6 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-18T23:00:52.348126+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-18T23:30:36.139Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The New York Ledger reported that Shelly Headen, a Democrat running for state legislature in North Carolina, remains on the ballot despite her party abandoning her over social media posts. The outlet detailed Headen's posts comparing President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement to Nazis and calling for attacks on U.S. soil. It noted that Headen stated the filing deadline to drop out was August 20, and ballots were sent out starting September 4. The New York Ledger quoted Headen denying to the Greensboro News and Record that she posted an image of herself at the Dachau concentration camp with text targeting Trump supporters, saying she believed it was edited. It also reported North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley criticized Democratic Senate nominee Roy Cooper for standing with Headen. Headen told WFDD she did not remember making the posts but apologized to those hurt by them. ### Right - The right-rated reports focused on Shelly Headen's social media posts comparing President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement to Nazis and calling for attacks on U.S. soil. The Washington Times, wfmd.com, nytimespost.com, and Fox News all stated that Headen remains on the ballot despite her party disavowing her. democraticaccent.com and The New York Ledger reported that Headen called for an attack on U.S. soil, preferably Alabama or Louisiana, where 'the stupid people live.' Multiple reports noted Headen's comparison of Trump's damage to Hitler and the MAGA cult being 'more destructive and evil than the Nazis.' The Washington Times, democraticaccent.com, and Fox News mentioned Headen's denial of posting an image of herself at the Dachau concentration camp with text targeting Trump supporters, with Headen stating she believed the image was edited. North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley was quoted in democraticaccent.com and The New York Ledger criticizing Democratic Senate nominee Roy Cooper for standing with Headen. democraticaccent.com also reported that Headen told WFDD she did not remember making the posts but apologized to those hurt by them. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 2 - mixed: 4 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Washington Times](https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/18/nc-dem-stays-ballot-despite-partys-disavowal-nazi-comparisons) — N.C. Dem stays on ballot despite party's disavowal over Nazi comparisons - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/18/dems-abandon-candidate-who-said-maga-is-more-destructive-than-nazis-but-shes-stuck-on-the-ballot) — Dems abandon candidate who said MAGA is ‘more destructive’ than Nazis, but she’s stuck on the ballot - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/dems-abandon-candidate-who-said-maga-more-destructive-than-nazis-but-shes-stuck-on-the-ballot) — Dems abandon candidate who said MAGA 'more destructive' than Nazis, but she’s stuck on the ballot - NEW YORK TIMES POST - [The New York Ledger](https://thenyledger.com/politics/dems-abandon-candidate-who-said-maga-more-destructive-than-nazis-but-shes-stuck-on-the-ballot) — Dems abandon candidate who said MAGA 'more destructive' than Nazis, but she’s stuck on the ballot - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/dems-abandon-candidate-who-said-maga-is-more-destructive-than-nazis-but-shes-stuck-on-the-ballot) — Dems abandon candidate who said MAGA is 'more destructive' than Nazis, but she’s stuck on the ballot – Democratic Accent - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/dems-abandon-candidate-who-said-maga-more-destructive-than-nazis-shes-stuck-ballot) — Dems abandon candidate who said MAGA 'more destructive' than Nazis, but she’s stuck on the ballot ## Questions **Why is Shelly Headen still on the ballot?** Shelly Headen remains on the ballot for North Carolina's House District 62 because the deadline to withdraw from the race was August 20. Ballots were finalized and sent to voters starting September 4, after the controversy over her social media posts gained national attention. **What did Shelly Headen post on social media?** Shelly Headen made social media posts comparing President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement to Nazis. She also suggested attacks on U.S. soil targeting red states and stated that the MAGA cult might be more destructive than the Nazis. **Did Shelly Headen deny the posts?** Headen denied to the Greensboro News and Record that she posted an image of herself at the Dachau concentration camp with text targeting Trump supporters, stating she believed the image was edited. She told WFDD that she did not remember making the posts but apologized to those hurt by them. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/nc-democrat-shelly-headen-remains-on-ballot-after-party-disavowal. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "NC Democrat Shelly Headen remains on ballot after party disavowal", https://mediabias.news/politics/nc-democrat-shelly-headen-remains-on-ballot-after-party-disavowal