Democrat Shelly Headen pulled off a surprise, narrow victory in NC House District 62 on Tuesday, defeating incumbent Republican John Blust.
Republicans have held the Guilford County seat for more than two decades. And when GOP lawmakers redrew the district in 2023, critics said the new boundaries gave the party an even bigger advantage.
Still, Democrats were optimistic about flipping the seat. Headen had outraised Blust, and he'd won reelection in 2024 by fewer than seven points. Then in September, inflammatory social media comments posted by Headen resurfaced. In one, she wrote, “Ready for the MAGAs to die off!!”
In interviews after the news broke, Headen said she didn't remember making the posts and compared herself to Jesus Christ, suggesting she was being unfairly persecuted.
The Guilford County Democratic Party and the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus both withdrew their support. By then, it was too late to remove her from the ballot.
Headen initially stopped campaigning, but got back on the trail weeks later.
In the end, she edged out Blust by just 233 votes, according to complete but unofficial results. The margin is close enough that the Republican could ask for a recount — the deadline to request one is November 16.