This card is for voters in western and northwest Guilford, including parts of Greensboro. Same concern set as the other November cards.
In 20 seconds
A state representative votes on the levy-limit amendment, school-choice dollars, teacher-pay budgets, and whether a town’s “no” on zoning still stands. The seat does not set Guilford’s tax rate by itself.
John Blust (R, inc.), who returned to the House in 2024, faces Shelly Headen (D), in her first run for this seat, in western and northwest Guilford, including parts of Greensboro.
On the published concern set: Blust 11 of 11, Headen 2 of 11. A tally is not an endorsement.
Republican · returned in 2024
Democrat · first run for this seat
Start here
- What this office does
- A state representative votes on the levy-limit amendment, ICE language, school-choice dollars, teacher-pay budgets, and whether a town “no” on zoning still stands. The seat does not set Guilford’s tax rate by itself.
- What this district covers
- Western and northwest Guilford, including parts of Greensboro. Blust returned to the House in 2024 after an earlier long tenure.
- What this card does — and does not do
- It marks the two names on the November line against a published concern set. It is not an endorsement.
✓ = matches the published concern set, on the public record we used.
✗ = does not, on that record.
— = no recorded vote and no published plank. We do not invent a mark.
The concern set used here: levy-limit and reappraisal relief, ICE detainers, school choice, energy costs that do not raise the home bill, tighter election rules, and a caucus vote that does not grow Raleigh.
Both may earn ✓ on the same row. Marks are not an endorsement. Full rules: how we score.
Matches the Piedmont concern set
John Blust · 11 of 11
Shelly Headen · 2 of 11
Dashes and “no published plank” rows are not scored. Issue-by-issue marks are in the table below.
| Issue | John Blust (Inc.) | Mark | Shelly Headen | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property-tax levy limit (HB 1089) | Cosponsor. Voted yes. Matches his long tax-limit record. | ✓ | Would have voted no along party lines. | ✗ |
| Reappraisal moratorium (SB 889) | Provide state relief when the local tax base explodes, putting taxpayers’ homes at risk. | Keep Guilford revenue intact. | ||
| School choice vs. GCS money | Opportunity Scholarships stay. | Rejects opportunity scholarships. Public-system first. | ||
| Teacher pay (SB 257 — 8% avg, $48k start) | House GOP. Voted the budget that enacted the raise. | Supports the enacted raise. Wants a larger next step. | ||
| Medicaid | Protect through work rules and solvency. | Protect expansion of benefits. | ||
| Crime and ICE detainers | Conservative public-safety vote; local law enforcement honors detainers. | Party line on cooperation, no required local cooperation with federal law enforcement. | ||
| Spending and the House fiscal vote | Returned to Raleigh as a budget hawk. | More state spending for entitlements and services. | ||
| Housing and zoning preemption | Keep towns in charge. Local ‘no’ stays a no. | No published housing plank. Party line: state rules that override a local ban on more units. | ||
| Data centers — jobs vs. the grid and the household bill | No published ordinance. Weigh the jobs against the load; keep the town veto. | No published data-center plank. Same weigh-the-load test; no posted special-use text. | ||
| Election rules | Cosponsor path on election-law bills. Require same photo ID rules for in-person and mail-in voting. | Oppose same photo ID rules for mail-in and in-person voting. | ||
| Experience in the chamber | Prior long tenure plus the 2024 return. | First run for this seat. | ||
| Who they caucus with | House GOP. One vote toward a veto-proof majority. | — | House Democrats. One vote against it. | — |
A dash is not a verdict on character. It means we could not mark the row from the record in front of us.
Property-tax levy limit (HB 1089)
Cosponsor. Voted yes. Matches his long tax-limit record.
Would have voted no along party lines.
Reappraisal moratorium (SB 889)
Provide state relief when the local tax base explodes, putting taxpayers’ homes at risk.
Keep Guilford revenue intact.
School choice vs. GCS money
Opportunity Scholarships stay.
Rejects opportunity scholarships. Public-system first.
Teacher pay (SB 257 — 8% avg, $48k start)
House GOP. Voted the budget that enacted the raise.
Supports the enacted raise. Wants a larger next step.
Medicaid
Protect through work rules and solvency.
Protect expansion of benefits.
Crime and ICE detainers
Conservative public-safety vote; local law enforcement honors detainers.
Party line on cooperation, no required local cooperation with federal law enforcement.
Spending and the House fiscal vote
Returned to Raleigh as a budget hawk.
More state spending for entitlements and services.
Housing and zoning preemption
Keep towns in charge. Local ‘no’ stays a no.
No published housing plank. Party line: state rules that override a local ban on more units.
Data centers — jobs vs. the grid and the household bill
No published ordinance. Weigh the jobs against the load; keep the town veto.
No published data-center plank. Same weigh-the-load test; no posted special-use text.
Election rules
Cosponsor path on election-law bills. Require same photo ID rules for in-person and mail-in voting.
Oppose same photo ID rules for mail-in and in-person voting.
Experience in the chamber
Prior long tenure plus the 2024 return.
First run for this seat.
Who they caucus with
House GOP. One vote toward a veto-proof majority.
House Democrats. One vote against it.
If these are your District 62 priorities
District 62 is a Guilford seat with a recorded yes on the levy-limit amendment and a member who has spent years as a House fiscal conservative.
Blust’s case is the roll call plus the caucus. Headen’s case is GCS money and a Democratic target list. Both pass the data-center load test and both support the enacted teacher-pay raise. On HB 1089, spending, detainers, and election rules — Blust is the closer fit.
- Sources (public record)
- NCGA / billsponsor.com on Blust (HB 1089 yes) · Ballotpedia HD-62 · Our Piedmont brief
If either campaign has a correction to a vote or a platform statement: hello@ourpiedmont.com.
Our Piedmont Education Foundation · 301 S Elm Street, Suite 605, Greensboro, NC 27401. This page is voter education. It is not an endorsement of, or opposition to, either candidate. Draft for internal review · August 28, 2026.