Diane Wheatley
Republican | North Carolina
Candidate Profile
Verified Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Diane Wheatley
Party
Republican
Election Year
2026
Election
Republican Primary - Federal, Statewide, State, Judicial, School Board
Race
State Rep., District 43
Incumbent
Yes
Links
EDUCATION
Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville,NC, Associate in Nursing, 1970-1972
Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC, non-degree, 1974-1975
Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC, non-degree, 2015-2016
WORK & MILITARY
Various, Registered Nurse, 1972-1984
Bragg Lines, Inc, Contract Manager/ CFO, 1984-2010
AFFILIATIONS
CUMBERLAND Kiwanis club, Past President, Contract Managers Association
Cape Fear Valley Hospital Board of Directors, Ethics and Compliance Chair, Ethics and compliance chair
Red Cross, Sandhills Chapter, Board of Directors, Missions International
Missions International, Nurse/Missionary
Sandhills Council of Government, Past President, Cumberland County Joint Planning Board
Kidsville News Literacy Foundation, Past Chair, Chair
Karen Chandler Charitable Trust, Past Chair
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, 4
Cumberland County Board of Education, 10
North Carolina House of Representatives, 2021-2025
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
SCORECARDS
CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
North Carolina Values Coalition
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (6)
Destin Hall
Speaker of the North Carolina House
2026-
Mayor Charles McLaurin
Mayor of Eastover
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (7)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2024)
Republican Womens Organizations (2024)
Ben Moss (2023)
State Republican Party Organizations (2022)
Pat McCrory (2015)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (31)
Ben Moss (2024)
Franklin S. Clark (2024)
George Cleveland (2024)
Howard Penny Jr. (2024)
Hugh Blackwell (2024)
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
NC Association of Nurse Anesthetists (2024)
OTHER INFORMATION
Diane Wheatley's Grade from pro-marijuana group NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws)
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
When the mother's life is legitimately at risk or the baby is not alive.
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Agree
Human life begins at conception
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Agree
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
That the Government has no right to force its citizens to follow a particular faith and likewise has no right to ban its citizens from practicing a particular faith. In addition. there can be no religious test for participating in the Government.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
I support a person's right to deny service when the objection is based on an established doctrine of a legitimate religion. This would fall in the realm of separation of church and state, prohibiting the Government from interfering with a citizen's right to freely practice their religious beliefs.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Yes. because they are our only dependable ally and the only democratic republic in the very important middle east region.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. However, there are things that the government can do to lower prices by encouraging competition, eliminating fraud and providing incentives for private citizens to purchase health insurance.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
Your medical history should not be shared with anyone without your permission. I have no problem with the government gathering data to improve the health care system so long as it is not linked to any individual.
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Government mandated wages generally cause pay to be frozen at a certain level. Minimum wage mandates are inherently inflationary. Any positive effect of an increase is fairly quickly overcome by an increase in the cost-of-living, affecting everyone.
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
The capitalist system has served us well for nearly 250 years. Competition is key to lowering costs and increasing productivity. Additionally, the right to private property is an essential element of personal freedom.
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
1. Have annual audits of Government departments to eliminate redundancy and overstaffing. Reflect these changes in the annual budget. 2. Make use of AI to flag areas of potential inefficiency for further analysis and task Department heads with identifying and making necessary changes. 3. Modernization of all systems to take advantage of the latest technologies. 4. Actively prosecute cases of fraud and abuse. 5. Actively pursue payment of outstanding debt owed to the Government.
IMMIGRATION
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Strongly Disagree
Immigrants are welcomed as long as they enter the country legally, obey our laws and contribute to the common good. Sanctuary cities by declining to hold those in the country illegally responsible are actually violating the law by encouraging this illegal behavior. That is not only a violation of Federal emigration laws but also puts a strain on our social network and denies needed services to deserving American citizens.
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
The bloated bureaucracy of the Federal Department of Education has not only wasted money through inefficiency but has also mandated a "one size fits all" approach to education that has been a complete failure. Local and state systems are far more capable of determining the needs of their students and where money should be spent.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Strongly Agree
We must guard against attempts by any outside forces to indoctrinate our students.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?
To provide citizens with safe communities in which to live. To enforce the law consistently, fairly and without regard to the economic or social status of the defendant. To treat those who are convicted of a crime humanely and to strive to rehabilitate them so that when they are released, they can be a contributing member of society.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
There is no greater responsibility for society as a whole than to protect and nurture our children.
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Strongly Agree
This is the other side of separation of church and state.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Those convicted of a felon, currently under a restraining order or ruled as mentally incompetent should not be allowed to possess a firearm.
ABOUT YOU
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Very Conservative
The American Conservative Union Foundation has previously recognized me as the most conservative member of the Cumberland County Delegation.
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No
VALUES
Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.
Strongly Agree
The family is the core of a decent, civil American society. We should never surrender our children to the Government.
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Strongly Agree
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Strongly Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am an evangelical Christian who believes that Jesus Christ came to earth as God in the flesh, lived a sin-free life, died by crucifixion, was buried and after three days he arose from the dead. I believe that he was the perfect sacrifice to atone for sin and that all who believe in him and accept him as their personal savior will never truly die but will have everlasting life. I believe that Jesus calls us to love one another, to be compassionate to the needed, to be forgiving and to strive to live by his example.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Faith in the integrity of our voting system is crucial to preserving our democratic republic. Certainly, the act of voting is at least as important as driving a car, purchasing cigarettes or alcohol, getting on an airplane, signing up for school or any number of other everyday actions. All of these require a photo ID. There is no legitimate reason not to be required to prove who you are before voting. The only way to do this beyond question is to show a government issued photo ID.
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Agree
I was a Primary Sponsor of the original "Save Girls Sports" bill, a version of which is now law in North Carolina.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Disagree
Undoubtably, human activity has had some impact on the environment but not nearly to the extent that climate activists contend. Good environmental policy should deal with real problems while not politicizing the issue.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
The rapidly expanding need for power that will be created by AI (Artificial Intelligence) will require an integrated approach from all available sources. No one type can meet the need, but new technologies will improve the grid over time.
