{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Val Applewhite","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Val Applewhite is the incumbent Democratic State Senator for North Carolina\u2019s 19th Senate District and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election\u202f[1][8]. The district covers most of Fayetteville in Cumberland County. As a state senator she serves on several key committees, including Appropriations on Education/Higher Education, Appropriations/Base Budget, Senate Finance, Health Care, Pensions and Retirement and Aging, and the State and Local Government Committee for the 2025\u20112026 session\u202f[1].\n\nApplewhite earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in business administration and a master\u2019s degree in political science, attending Southern New\u202fHampshire University and Strayer University\u202f[7]. She is a retired United States Air Force veteran, having served before beginning her civilian career\u202f[7][14]. After military service she entered the real\u2011estate industry, working as a broker and eventually founding Val Applewhite Real Estate and Consulting\u202f[1][18].\n\nHer first elected office was on the Fayetteville City Council, where she served from 2007 to 2011 (some sources note 2007\u20112013)\u202f[1][14]. She later ran for mayor of Fayetteville in 2013 and 2015, finishing second both times\u202f[7]. In 2022 she won the Democratic primary and general election for the State Senate, succeeding Kirk deViere and taking office on January\u202f1,\u202f2023\u202f[1][7]. She was re\u2011elected in 2024 with 62.9% of the vote, defeating Republican Semone\u202fPemberton and Libertarian Steven\u202fSwinton\u202f[1][14].\n\nDuring her first term Applewhite sponsored legislation addressing PFAS\u2011contaminated drinking water in Cumberland County, securing $15\u202fmillion and helping obtain an additional $35\u202fmillion federal grant for clean\u2011water projects\u202f[14][18]. She has been a vocal opponent of North Carolina\u2019s 12\u2011week abortion ban, voting against Senate Bill\u202f20 and sponsoring bills to protect reproductive rights, including a constitutional amendment to codify pre\u2011Roe abortion access\u202f[13][14]. Applewhite also opposes the state\u2019s Opportunity Scholarship program, arguing that taxpayer dollars should remain in public schools\u202f[13][14].\n\nIn the 2025\u20112026 session she continued work on health\u2011care access, veteran services, and economic development, including advocacy for the Interstate\u202f685 extension to boost Cumberland County\u2019s economy\u202f[10]. Her committee assignments place her at the center of budgetary decisions for education, health, and state\u2011local relations, allowing her to influence policy areas central to her district\u2019s needs\u202f[1].\n\nApplewhite\u2019s campaign emphasizes clean water, reproductive freedom, public\u2011school funding, and veteran support. She maintains a campaign website (www.valapplewhitencsenate.com) and a campaign email address (applewhiteforsenate@gmail.com)\u202f[8][18].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Val Applewhite - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Val_Applewhite)\n- [4] [Senator Val Applewhite - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/440)\n- [7] [Val Applewhite - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Applewhite)\n- [8] [Vote-USA | Val Applewhite | Candidate for State Senator District 19, North Carolina | March 3, 2026 North Carolina Democratic Party State Primary](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=NC&Id=NCApplewhiteVal)\n- [9] [Val Applewhite - North Carolina Candidate - Transparency USA](https://www.transparencyusa.org/nc/candidate/val-applewhite)\n- [10] [Val Applewhite | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/val-applewhite)\n- [11] [Sen. Val Applewhite | North Carolina 2025-2026 | TrackBill](https://trackbill.com/legislator/north-carolina-senator-val-applewhite/1063-26187/)\n- [13] [Val Applewhite is Pro-Choice - North Carolina Choice Tracker](https://choicetracker.org/nc/people/val-applewhite/212271104)\n- [14] [Val Applewhite maintains N.C. Senate District 19 seat](https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/val-applewhite-maintains-n-c-senate-district-19-seat/)\n- [18] [Val Applewhite running for NC State Senate District 19 - CityView NC](https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/nc-state-senate-district-19-val-applewhite/)","firstname":"Valencia","lastname":"Applewhite","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"4d0989e181757152"},"token":"BRjd5u-ML06yZA2p"},{"candidatename":"Venus de la Cruz","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Venus de la Cruz is the Republican nominee for the North Carolina State Senate in District\u202f19 in the 2026 general election. The primary for that seat was canceled, so she advanced automatically to the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 ballot, where she will face incumbent Democrat Val Applewhite [1].\n\nDe la Cruz is married to Freddie de la Cruz, a former mayoral candidate and the Republican nominee for North Carolina House District\u202f44. The couple resides in Cumberland County, but publicly available sources do not detail her education or prior professional experience [16][17].\n\nBefore seeking the state Senate, de\u202fla\u202fCruz ran for a seat on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners in District\u202f2. In the March\u202f5,\u202f2024 Republican primary, she announced she would not actively campaign, saying she wanted to \u201close the primary\u201d and instead support three other GOP candidates she believed could do the job [16][17]. The primary is a three\u2011seat contest, with the top three vote\u2011getters advancing to the November general election.\n\nHer decision to step back from campaigning was framed as a matter of personal faith. She said she prayed for guidance and received a \u201cclear revelation\u201d that she should not pursue the office, though she left the door open to re\u2011enter the race if she felt called by the Lord [16][17].\n\nDespite not campaigning, de\u202fla\u202fCruz emerged as the leading fundraiser among the eight Republican candidates for the County Commissioner race, raising $1,400 in December 2023, all of which came from her husband\u2019s contributions. This placed her ahead of her GOP rivals, though she remained far behind the Democratic frontrunner, who raised over $10,000 [18].\n\nNo public email address or phone number for de\u202fla\u202fCruz appears in the available sources, and her campaign website is not listed. The Ballotpedia entry serves as the primary online profile for her candidacy.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Venus de la Cruz](https://ballotpedia.org/Venus_de_la_Cruz)\n- [16] [GOP candidate Venus de la Cruz wants to lose the primary](https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/gop-candidate-venus-de-la-cruz-wants-to-lose-the-primary/)\n- [17] [GOP candidate Venus de la Cruz wants to lose the primary | CityView](https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/gop-candidate-venus-de-la-cruz-wants-to-lose-the-primary,69454)\n- [18] [County commissioner candidate fundraising: Democrat Kirk deViere far ahead, Venus de la Cruz leads Republicans](https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/county-commissioner-candidate-fundraising-democrat-kirk-deviere-far-ahead-venus-de-la-cruz-leads/)","firstname":"Venus","lastname":"De La Cruz","middlename":"Recod","suffix":null,"token":"e68bf4a0edb5b4a4"},"token":"mFmj24aJnqvGFCBL"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"state_senator","o.office":"state_senate","office":"state_senate","officedescription":"The Tennessee Senate is the upper chamber of the state legislature, with 33 members elected from single-member districts to four-year terms. Senators pass state laws, approve the state budget, confirm certain gubernatorial appointments, and \u2014 with the House \u2014 propose constitutional amendments.","officequalities":"- **Integrity** \u2014 Acts in the interest of constituents and the public good rather than for personal gain, and remains independent of undue influence from donors, lobbyists, and party leadership.\n- **Understanding of the constituency** \u2014 Grasps both the economic-development needs of the district and the day-to-day concerns of individual residents \u2014 safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure.\n- **Persuasion** \u2014 Engages, listens to, and persuades both fellow legislators and constituents. Can change minds and explain votes honestly.\n- **Legislative craft** \u2014 Reads, drafts, and amends statute with care. Understands how specific bill language translates to outcomes, and knows the body of law being modified.\n- **Coalition-building** \u2014 Finds common ground across partisan and factional lines, brokers compromises that hold, and forms working majorities even when consensus is hard to reach.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"State Senator","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc State Senate District 19"}