Name as it appears on the ballot: Freddie de la Cruz

Party affiliation: Republican

Previous elected offices held: N/A

Age as of Election Day: 62

Immediate family members: Venus de la Cruz, Calista Cuevas, Miranda Lenee, Sarah de la Cruz, Efrain de la Cruz (D), Ethan de la Cruz, Olivia Gooden

Occupation (employer, where you work, what you do): Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and business owner of Venus Vogue Weddings & Formals, Limousine, Tuxedos and The Venue.

Website and campaign social media: freddiefornchouse.com, linkedin.com/in/efraindelacruz/,

1. North Carolina law bans abortion in most cases after the 12th week of pregnancy. What change (if any) do you want to make to this, and why? And if no change, why no change?

North Carolina does not have an abortion ban. It is not a ban if there are exceptions. The current limits on abortions fall within the worldwide accepted limits on abortion. For example, 12 weeks in Germany and Italy, or 14 weeks in France and Spain. I support the platform that allows for three exceptions: life of the mother, incest and rape. As a representative, I understand my responsibility to speak for a diverse constituency, therefore I respect the current laws. I do not believe that abortion should be funded in any way with North Carolina tax dollars.

2. With high levels of toxic chemicals in Cumberland County’s drinking water, describe the assistance you plan to send to water utilities, and to people who use drinking water wells, to cover the costs of mitigating PFAS contamination.

The fact the county commissioners and city council have neglected this problem for over two decades does not make this easy problem to solve. I would start with ensuring a complete audit is conducted on how federal, state, county and municipal funds have been and are planned to be spent on solving toxic chemicals in our drinking water. I would seek assistance with the state auditor’s office and the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure compliance. Additionally, I would seek compensation through legislative and legal options from Chemours and any other company(s) for neglect.

3. North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarships are injecting hundreds of millions of tax dollars into the private school economy. Economists say that when the government puts money into an economy, prices rise. What price controls or other regulations do you intend to enact to prevent private schools from raising tuition prices at the expense of the North Carolina taxpayers?

I support the current North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarships standards, because private schools are a mix of scholarship recipients and non-recipients. With the current restrictions, the schools cannot raise the rates without affecting all students equally, which is the fair market capitalism check and balances. Also, in order to receive funds from the N.C. Opportunity Scholarship, the law stipulates that the school cannot charge different rates for recipients and non-recipients. It also states that any discounts offered must be offered to both.

4. Based on increased spending to support education and infrastructure, and tax cuts enacted by the legislature, the General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division projects that the state budget will start having shortfalls in the 2026-27 fiscal year, and these will exceed $2 billion by the 2028-29 fiscal year. The North Carolina Constitution requires the budget to be balanced. What should be done to prevent the shortfall?

I do respect the bipartisan General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division analysis. However, the current Republican-led legislature has a history of balancing North Carolina budget, which currently has over $1 billion surplus. Also, we anticipate a growth in the economy as both presidential and gubernatorial candidates are boasting strong projection for the economy. To prevent shortfalls, I would look at reducing minimal impact, low-priority projects in the budget to assist with the projected growth in the economy.