Cathy Thorne Bynum
Republican | North Carolina
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 1975-1980
WORK & MILITARY
Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, Production Manager, 1980-1983
Pitt County Schools, High School Math Educator, 1998-2017
AFFILIATIONS
Wahl-Coates Summer Academy, Summer Enrichment Program for inner-city youth, Founder & Director, 1994-1997
Victory Christian Academy, Principal, 1997-1998
People's Baptist Church, Member, PBC cares, past member of choir, 2022-2026
Republican Women of Pitt County, Past Secretary, 2021-2026
Pitt County Republican Party, Member, 2018-2026
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Member, 1977-1980
Society of Women Engineers, Member, 1977-1980
Alpha Chi Honor Society, Member, 1978-1980
Farmville Central High School Teacher of the Year, Representative, 2009-2010
Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities, Recognition, 1980-1980
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
North Carolina House of Representatives District 8, 2026-2026
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (4)
Pitt County Republican Party
Republican Women of Pitt County
Republican National Hispanic Assembly of North Carolina
North Carolina Federation of Republican Women
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Republican Womens Organizations (2024)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including funds for “family planning,” contraception, or abortion counseling).
Strongly Agree
I believe in the sanctity of life from conception to the grave. Abortions should not be funded by tax-payers under any circumstance.
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
I don't believe that we have the right to end human life under any circumstance, except in the instance of self defense or while protecting the life of another human being.
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
Psalm 139 lets us know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and Genesis informs us that we are made in the image of God. As image bearers of our heavenly Father, we must protect the rights of His creation.
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Strongly Agree
Human life should never be treated as disposable waste material.
Existing Federal laws that prohibit the interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs should be enforced.
Strongly Agree
Abortion drugs often result in botched abortions and can be very dangerous to the health of the mother.
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Wages should be determined by supply and demand, and should be based on the value of the work rather than by federal or state laws.
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
Free enterprise and the right to private property have been a crucial bulwark of a free society.
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
1) Require strict auditing and accountability of spending 2) Eliminate duplicate efforts by merging units that do basically the same jobs 3) Identify and shut down programs that are no longer beneficial
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
Separation of Church and State doesn't appear anywhere in the US Constitution. It was mentioned in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802, to the Danbury Baptist Association. Jefferson's intent was to prevent the government from infringing upon personal faith; his intent was never to keep faith from shaping the government.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
To require an individual or business to provide services that violate their moral and/or religious belief is a violation of Freedom of Religion, guaranteed under the First Amendment.
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.
Medicare should remain a benefit earned through work and tax contributions, while Medicaid should be reserved for legal citizens unable to work due to mental and/or physical disabilities. There should be no other government funded healthcare; all other healthcare should be obtained through private options.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
I am deeply skeptical of government databases monitoring private citizens for any reason. Regardless of how noble the cause may seem, it constitutes a direct invasion of privacy. I stand for less government intervention and greater personal freedom.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
All of the above is true.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
From my perspective as a born-again Christian, America's continued prosperity is fundamentally linked to our support for Israel. As our closest ally, this strategic and spiritual partnership has yielded immense, mutual benefits for both nations.
IMMIGRATION
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Strongly Disagree
Sanctuary cities are a violation of federal law.
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Agree
The department of Education was created in 1979 under then President, Jimmy Carter. Since its inception it has failed its core mission. Instead of helping our students, federal bureaucracy has driven a rapid decline in academic results.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Strongly Agree
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
Again, from my perspective as a born-again Christian, God holds parents accountable for their child's upbringing. The government should never infringe on parental rights, except in the case of proven abuse or neglect.
Attempts to transition a child to the opposite sex are harmful to that child and should be prohibited.
Strongly Agree
The mutilation of children through medical transition is one of the most profoundly harmful tragedies of our modern era.
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
God created the institution of marriage and it cannot be redefined nor repurposed.
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Strongly Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a born-again follower of Jesus Christ. I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Titus 2:11-13 (KJV) sums up my beliefs about how I should live this Christian life. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and Godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ,
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
Photo identification is a necessity to prevent cheating. As a black woman, I find the assumption that black people lack the ability or the intelligence to secure a photo ID deeply offensive. The narrative is condescending and completely misrepresents our community.
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
The whole reparations argument is completely unrealistic. No living Americans were enslaved and no living American owned slaves. It is unjust to tax citizens for historic wrongs they did not commit. The astronomical financial cost and the extreme administrative difficulty of determining eligibility, tracing lineage, and distributing funds fairly would be impossible to implement.
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 wholeheartedly agree. We must protect our women and girls in sports and in private spaces.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Strongly Disagree
I believe that the underlying motivation behind modern climate agendas is economic restructuring and resource redistribution. I am not saying that there has not been some change in climate patterns, but global climate variations are cyclical. Human intervention has a negligible impact on long-term trends.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
I believe that nuclear power is the most reliable energy source. Nuclear complemented by natural gas and other sources should sustain the growing demand.
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
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
I have never been charged or penalized for sexual misconduct nor any other misconduct.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
I have never been convicted of a felony nor a misdemeanor.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?
The goal of the criminal justice system should be to keep citizens safe, and maintain individual liberties by protecting constitutional rights.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
I believe that parents have the first line of responsibility to protect their children, but I certainly agree that there should be government regulations in place to protect children from sexual exploitation.
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Strongly Agree
Sharia law is incompatible with our Constitutional Republic, and is incompatible with Western Civilization in general.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
The text of the Second Amendment contains no restrictions on gun ownership; it imposes a single, absolute restriction on government power: "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." I do support criminal background checks before a gun purchase.
