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Janene Marie Ackles

Janene Marie Ackles
Candidate for None None, None None
Candidate for None None, None None

Janene Ackles is the Democratic candidate for North Carolina House District 43 in the 2026 general election, seeking to represent the district in the state legislature. She secured the Democratic nomination by winning 67% of the vote (3,900 votes) in the March 3, 2026 primary, defeating Ronald Pittman, and will face incumbent Republican Diane Wheatley in the November 3, 2026 contest [1].

Ackles was born in Maryland and raised in a family with a strong tradition of public service; her father served in three wars and later worked for the U.S. Postal Service, while her mother was an elementary school teacher and a Shaw University graduate who broke racial barriers in the Girl Scouts [11]. She later moved to North Carolina, where she has lived for many years in the area that comprises District 43.

Professionally, Ackles is a grant‑writing specialist and business consultant. She founded Grantastic Consulting, a firm that has helped more than 200 nonprofit organizations secure funding, and authored the guide Non‑Profit 501C‑3, Easy as 1‑2‑3 [11]. In addition to her consulting work, she leads the Cumberland County Community Watch Coalition, serves on the boards of the Vision Resource Center and the Jai 6 Youth Foundation, and founded the women’s activist group DisruptHERS [11].

Her prior foray into elected office was a 2022 nonpartisan campaign for Fayetteville City Council District 2, where she appeared on the primary ballot but did not advance to the general election [2]. She also ran for the same North Carolina House seat in 2024, losing to Wheatley with 42.7% of the vote [1].

Ackles’ campaign platform emphasizes comprehensive health care, rural education reform, economic development that creates jobs, clean water and soil, and public safety initiatives. She advocates for reduced government interference in reproductive health decisions and proposes state funding and grant programs to address PFAS contamination in Cumberland County’s drinking water. Additionally, she calls for repeal of the Opportunity Scholarship program and stricter tuition controls for private schools that receive public funds [18].

Ackles lives in District 43 with her husband and blended family of eight adult children and is known locally as “Momma J.” Her deep community ties, professional experience in nonprofit financing, and prior campaign experience shape her candidacy for the North Carolina House of Representatives.

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