North Carolina Democrat legislative candidate Shelly Headen is facing scrutiny over social-media posts, including a photograph from the Dachau concentration camp memorial accompanied by a statement that Trump supporters “belong” there and another post saying America’s “only hope” was an attack on U.S. soil.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
North Carolina Democrat state House candidate Shelly Headen is facing controversy over social-media posts in which she reportedly said Trump supporters “belong” at the Dachau concentration camp and, in a separate message, wrote that America’s “only hope” was an attack on U.S. soil.
Headen, the Democratic candidate for North Carolina House District 62, is challenging Republican state Rep. John Blust in the Nov. 3 general election. State election records list both candidates for the Guilford County-area seat.
The latest controversy centers on a Facebook story Headen reportedly posted during a trip to Germany. The post showed her at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site and included the message, “Visiting Dauchau [sic] Concentration Camp in Germany… This is where Trump supporters belong.” Breitbart reported that the image showed Headen smiling near what appeared to be crematorium ovens at the memorial.
Dachau was established by the Nazi regime in March 1933 and became a model for later concentration camps. More than 200,000 prisoners from more than 40 countries were held at Dachau and its satellite camps, and the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site says approximately 41,500 people died there from hunger, disease, torture, murder and the consequences of imprisonment.
The memorial’s crematorium complex included four furnaces constructed as part of “Barrack X.” The SS also used the crematorium area as an execution site, according to the memorial.
The Holocaust resulted in the systematic murder of six million Jewish people by Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Millions of other victims were also persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime.
Headen has described herself publicly as a CPA and business owner. Reporting on the Dachau post said her Facebook page also described her candidacy as an effort to “restore human decency.” Her current campaign website identifies her as a candidate for House District 62 and says she is running to “restore fairness, opportunity, and common sense for the people of North Carolina.”
The Dachau post emerged alongside scrutiny of another social-media statement attributed to Headen. In that message, which was publicized by North Carolina House Republicans, Headen wrote, “I think our only hope is an attack on US soil… preferably Alabama, Louisiana… where the stupid people are.”
Independent reporting on the resurfaced comment confirmed that Headen wrote that America’s “only hope” was an attack on U.S. soil and identified Alabama and Louisiana in the message. Headen later characterized some of her social-media activity as “a few angry moments.”
The controversies have unfolded amid other nationally prominent disputes over political rhetoric and violence. In April, an armed man breached a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner while President Donald Trump and other senior officials were present before being apprehended near the ballroom. Public reporting established the attempted security breach but did not, in the sources reviewed, establish an assassination motive.
Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed also faced criticism after responding to an attack on a suburban Detroit synagogue with the phrase, “Hurt people hurt people.” El-Sayed later apologized for the remark, saying he had intended to provide context rather than justify the attack.
Headen has separately faced questions over two 2024 incidents involving law enforcement at her home. A pair of incident and investigation reports released by North Carolina House Republicans identify Headen as a suspect and her husband, Gregory Thomas Headen, as the victim in alleged simple physical assaults.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office documents are dated May 30 and Nov. 19, 2024. Both characterize the incidents as domestic and identify Headen as the lone suspect, while her husband is named as the victim. The May report records no injury, while the November report lists an “apparent minor injury,” according to reporting that reviewed the documents. The released materials did not include deputies’ narrative accounts and did not establish whether either incident resulted in an arrest or criminal charges.
Headen addressed the allegations in a Sept. 3 statement, describing the incidents as disputes between herself and her husband during a difficult period in their marriage.
“In 2024, during a high-stress time in my marriage, my husband and I had a couple of arguments that escalated. During one argument, my husband grabbed me, and I fell backward and hit my head. In my fear and confusion, I sought support and protection from those I trusted—I called 911,” Headen said.
The incident documents describe two separate law enforcement responses rather than a single event and list Headen as the suspect and her husband as the victim in both. Headen has disputed the characterization surrounding the controversy and described herself as having experienced abuse during that period.
The social-media controversies are now unfolding during Headen’s campaign against Blust for House District 62, a suburban Guilford County seat. Official North Carolina election records confirm Headen is running as the Democratic nominee and Blust as the Republican nominee.
The Dachau post has drawn particular attention because it placed an explicit reference to Trump supporters alongside imagery from one of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps. Dachau’s memorial describes the site today as both a cemetery and a place of mourning and remembrance for those who suffered and died there.
Headen’s campaign had not responded to the original report by press time.
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