Julie Marie Von Haefen

Current office and 2026 campaign

Julie Marie von Haefen is a Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 36, a Wake County district; the General Assembly's member record for the 2025-2026 session lists her as having served four terms in the House ¹. She filed for re-election on December 1, 2025 and appears on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot ². No primary was held for the seat in the March 3, 2026 primary; her general-election opponent is Republican Mary Insprucker of Cary ². Von Haefen's address of record on the filing is in Apex ². WRAL described the district in June 2025 as covering parts of Apex and Holly Springs ³.

Background and education

Her campaign biography states that she received her bachelor's degree from Ohio University and her law degree from Case Western Reserve University, and that she holds inactive law licenses in Ohio, Arizona and California ⁴.

Career

The same campaign biography says von Haefen practiced law for over 10 years "in a variety of areas including criminal law, medical malpractice defense, municipal law and education law," and that she works as a substitute teacher with Wake County Public Schools ⁴. Reporting independently, WRAL identifies her as a lawyer who "was a Parent Teacher Association leader at the school, county and state level, serving in various leadership roles including president of the Wake County PTA Council" ³. Her campaign account adds that she served on the North Carolina PTA Board of Directors from 2017 to 2019 and was State Advocacy Chair and Federal Legislative Chair for NCPTA, became a Guardian ad Litem in Wake County in 2018, and is a longtime Meals on Wheels volunteer ⁴.

Office history

Von Haefen first won District 36 in the November 2018 general election, defeating Republican Nelson Dollar 21,551 votes to 20,667, with Libertarian Robyn Haley Pegram taking 1,305 ⁵. She was re-elected in 2020 over Republican Kim Coley, 31,644 to 25,656, with Libertarian Bruce Basson at 2,206 ⁶; in 2022 over Republican John Harris, 21,966 to 16,220, with Libertarian Kyle Ward at 968 ⁷; and in 2024 over Republican Becki Allen, 28,629 to 22,364, with Libertarian Travis Groo at 1,521 ⁸.

Legislative record and accomplishments

For the 2025-2026 session she serves on the Appropriations committee; Appropriations, Health and Human Services; Education - K-12; Ethics; and Homeland Security and Military and Veterans Affairs ⁹.

The General Assembly's record of her introduced bills lists her as the first-listed primary sponsor of, among others, HB 500 "NC Adopt ERA," HB 509 "Right to Reproductive Freedom Act," HB 510 "Menstrual Equity for All Act," HB 522 "Crisis Pregnancy Center Fraud Prevention Act," HB 366 "Reenact & Expand Pistol Purchase Permit," HB 367 "Provide Rape Kit Status Updates to Victims," HB 420 and HB 1017 "Sound Basic Education for Every Child," HB 807 "Strong Public Schools for a Strong NC," HB 902 "Free to Learn - Library Bill of Rights Act," HB 725 "MOMnibus 3.0" and HB 1120 "Financial Effectiveness and Transparency Act" ¹⁰. She is also a primary sponsor of HB 815 "Voucher School Accountability Act," HB 941 "Expand & Enhance the Teaching Fellows Program," HB 521 "Healthy Families & Workplaces/Paid Sick Leave" and HB 622 "Limit Excessive Mag Sizes" ¹⁰. None of the bills she primary-sponsored in the 2025-2026 session had been enacted into session law as of the General Assembly's record for this session; each remains in committee ¹⁰. She is a co-sponsor, not a primary sponsor, of HB 8 "NC Managing Environmental Waste Act of 2025," HB 20 "Fair Maps Act" and HB 31 "Make Election Day A State Holiday" ¹⁰.

Documented disputes and controversies

In June 2025, von Haefen posted on Facebook a video montage from the "No Kings" protests in North Carolina that included, in WRAL's description, "an image of a protester's sign featuring a guillotine and a fake severed head resembling President Donald Trump" ¹¹. The image was posted the same day a man shot two Minnesota politicians and their spouses, killing the state's former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Raleigh native Mark Hortman ¹¹³. She deleted the post the next day, calling the protester's sign "inappropriate" and writing: "Let me be clear: I condemn political violence in all forms. My focus remains on bringing people together and fighting for the values that matter to North Carolinians. Like so many, I was horrified by the violence in Minnesota. There is no place for that kind of extremism in our democracy, no matter the target, no matter the party" ¹¹.

North Carolina Republican Party chairman Jason Simmons called on her to resign, saying: "The posts Rep. von Haefen shared do not show the judgement or temperament of someone to hold public office. For the good of her constituents to have effective representation, she should resign" ¹¹. House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, said he had launched discussions with legislative attorneys "to ensure this behavior does not continue," adding that "her disgraceful behavior fails to meet the standards expected from House members and sets a dangerous precedent in an already volatile political climate" ¹¹. North Carolina Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton called the response "manufactured outrage ... to take advantage of the recent tragedy in Minnesota" and said it "rings incredibly hollow" ¹¹.

The following Tuesday, von Haefen apologized on the House floor: "This weekend, I shared a video montage on Facebook that included an image that was inappropriate. I realized that quickly and took the post down, and I want to apologize today. I apologize to members of the House, to my constituents, and to any North Carolinian who was offended by what I posted" ³. The state Republican Party renewed its call for her resignation after the apology ³. Speaking to reporters afterward, Hall did not rule out further action, which NC Newsline reported could include a motion to censure; Hall said "the body elected me as speaker, and ultimately the body decides on what consequences are for things" ¹². Von Haefen remained in office and filed for re-election on December 1, 2025 ².

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