Name: Julie von Haefen

Age: 55

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: http://www.juliefornc.com

Occupation & employer: North Carolina State House Representative

Years lived in the area: 21 years

1. What in your background qualifies you to represent the people of your North Carolina district effectively? What would you cite as your three biggest career accomplishments? 

As a State Representative, I bring my experience as a parent, community advocate and lawyer with me every day to the General Assembly. Before I was elected, I was deeply involved in the public schools in Wake County and North Carolina for almost a decade, as a Parent Teacher Association leader at the school, county, and state level. I served as the Wake County PTA Council President, and I currently work as a substitute teacher in WCPSS. My connection to our public schools and to the communities I represent make me uniquely qualified to fight for the issues that Wake County families value, including public education for every child, affordable healthcare and childcare, freedom from the threat of gun violence, and protecting our environment. I’ve had three distinct periods in my professional life- first as a litigation attorney, then as a public school advocate and now as a legislator. Each part of my career journey has contained unique accomplishments, such as winning a medical malpractice case that lasted over three years, to creating new multicultural programming at my children’s elementary school to getting my first bill passed through the NC House. Life can take many twists and turns, and I’m proud of the journey that got me to where I am today.

2. What do you believe to be the three most pressing issues facing the next General Assembly? What steps do you believe the state should take to address them?

The most important issues in my district are increasing education funding so that every child in NC has access to a sound basic education, expanding access to healthcare, and lowering costs for North Carolina families. I am proud to have introduced or sponsored legislation on all of these topics, from raising teacher wages and providing free meals to students, to codifying the rights of Roe v. Wade, to sponsoring legislation that lowers housing and childcare costs in NC. 

3. Federal cuts to Medicaid are expected to cost the state $50 billion over the next decade, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. How would you address Medicaid funding to maintain coverage for the millions of North Carolinians enrolled?

Throughout my time in office I have worked diligently to expand Medicaid coverage in North Carolina, and it has constantly been threatened on different fronts. I have supported bills such as the Access to Healthcare Options bill (HB 76, 2024), the Medicaid Coverage for Doula Services bill, and more. I will continue to sponsor and support legislation that lowers healthcare costs for North Carolinians. Medicaid expansion is our single most significant opportunity to strengthen rural health and keep more rural hospitals from closing. No one deserves to go without access to healthcare based on their zip code, race, or financial status. 

4. The General Assembly has voted to put a constitutional amendment on ballots that, if passed, would put a cap on property tax increases. Do you support the amendment? Why or why not?

I do not support the amendment. These amendments do not lower current tax rates, they are deceptive and harmful to North Carolina taxpayers. This amendment will also severely limit the ability of state governments to fund infrastructure, emergency services, and public education, all of which are already in need of better funding from our state. 

5. How would you address the rising costs of housing, childcare, and basic necessities facing North Carolina families?

Our state is growing rapidly, and as a result, our housing market is becoming more competitive and housing prices are on the rise. Families who’ve lived in their neighborhoods for decades or even generations are being pushed out, and teachers, police officers, and local employees are having great difficulty finding reasonably affordable housing options near their workplaces. We need to pass renter protections to prevent no-cause evictions, provide more down-payment assistance to first time home buyers, and pass a non-discrimination ordinance to provide specific protections for renters and homebuyers who are Section 8 recipients, or who are people of color, low-income, and/or LGBTQ. I believe that the economy for my district and all of North Carolina is worsening. We have not raised wages properly to account for inflation and working class families are struggling. We are living in a time where dual-income is necessary for most families to live, but childcare costs the equivalent of one of their salaries. My suburban district includes many young families and I am dedicated to lowering costs for them by passing policies to hold utility companies accountable for pollution and rising rates, making childcare accessible and creating more affordable housing options in our area. 

6. Climate disasters are intensifying: Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in 2024, Tropical Storm Chantal flooded the Triangle in 2025, and coastal erosion threatens the Outer Banks. With much affordable housing located in flood-prone areas and FEMA resources stretched thin, what is your plan for climate resilience and disaster relief?

I have supported a number of bills that help to ensure North Carolina is doing it’s part in protecting the environment. Research repeatedly shows that robust building codes, disaster mitigation efforts, and combatting climate change are the only methods that will sustainably reduce the impact of future storms. Investing in clean energy programs is vital to combatting climate change. Vehicle electrification is particularly critical to North Carolina because the transportation sector recently became our leading source of greenhouse gas emissions. We cannot pretend that our state’s reliance on gas-powered vehicles is not contributing to the climate crisis. We should be doing all that we can to advocate for our environment by investing in clean energy programs. 

7. The General Assembly recently passed a new congressional redistricting map. This marks the state’s seventh congressional map since 2016. How do you view the most recent redistricting? And do you support independent redistricting processes, or do you believe the legislature should retain this power? 

As a representative in a district that has been found by the courts to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered, I believe the General Assembly must take immediate action to provide the voters of our state with fairly and independently drawn districts. I will continue to do everything I can to advance legislation that takes redistricting power away from members of the General Assembly. 

8. North Carolina ranks near the bottom nationally in teacher pay. How would you address teacher compensation, and what will you do to ensure a budget passes that adequately funds education?

School staff and teachers should receive, at the very least, an 8.5 percent pay raise in the next state budget. I have sponsored HB 1130 – Re-Professionalizing the Teaching Profession, which advocates for teachers and other public school staff to be paid on an education-based salary to encourage teachers with higher levels of education to work in public schools. I’ve also sponsored HB 672 to restore state employee and teacher retiree medical benefits. I will continue to champion similar bills during my time in the NCGA to ensure that all teachers and school staff have the opportunity to make and sustain a living wage.

9. North Carolina currently has a 12-week abortion ban with certain exceptions. Some legislators have proposed further restrictions. Do you support the current law, believe access should be expanded, or would you support further restrictions?

I strongly oppose limits being placed on access to abortion. Abortion is healthcare and the state has no business interfering in the right of citizens to access healthcare. I will continue to fight against the restrictions placed on bodily autonomy and reproductive rights during my time in office and work toward expanding access to abortion in North Carolina. 

10. Federal legislation will ban most hemp-derived THC products, like Delta-8, by December 2026, threatening North Carolina’s hemp industry. Meanwhile, recreational marijuana remains illegal and medical marijuana bills have stalled. What is your position on hemp regulation and would you address the upcoming federal ban, if at all?

I support the legalization of recreational and medical marijuana, as well as hemp-derived THC products. I believe that with the legalization of marijuana, we can better regulate the sale, possession, and use of cannabis in North Carolina, therefore making it safer for its consumers. 

11. Iryna’s Law eliminates cashless bail, requires mental health evaluations for certain defendants, and attempts to restart the death penalty by requiring alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable. The law also accelerates death penalty appeals. Where do you stand on the death penalty and these criminal justice reforms?

I am opposed to the death penalty and believe it should be abolished at the state and federal level. I believe that cash bail should be eliminated. It traps people in a cycle of poverty and incarceration. The state should do all we can to reform our criminal justice system. If our goal is to lower recidivism, we need to offer more support and opportunity to people as they re-enter their communities after incarceration. Criminal history can be used to discriminate against qualified applicants, making it more difficult for formerly incarcerated people to re-enter the workforce and society as a whole. 

12. Tech companies are investing heavily in North Carolina data centers, bringing tax revenue but also consuming significant electricity and water resources. How should the state balance data center investment with environmental protection and community concerns?

I beleive that companies constructing data centers are seeking to exploit inadequate and outdated regulations, with no regard for their long-term viability or for how to reduce negative community impacts. Many communities are placing moratoriums on data center construction to protect themselves, and I hope to see the same in our community. A moratorium is vital to ensure we can implement noise and environmental impact regulations. We must also ensure that corporations pay their fair share rather than expecting citizens to shoulder the costs of data centers’ enormous demand for electricity. 

13. Give an example of an opinion, policy, vote or action you changed based on constituent feedback. If you have not yet held elected office, describe a time when you changed your position on an issue after listening to those affected by it.

Most recently, I was encouraged by my constituents to vote no on HB328, a bill to regulate Hemp-Derived Consumables. The bill seeks to put a cap on THC products and effectively bans products that exceed the very slim threshold. 

14. Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address?