Venus Recod De La Cruz

Venus de la Cruz is the Republican nominee for the North Carolina State Senate in District 19 in the 2026 general election. The primary for that seat was canceled, so she advanced automatically to the November 3, 2026 ballot, where she will face incumbent Democrat Val Applewhite ¹.

De la Cruz is married to Freddie de la Cruz, a former mayoral candidate and the Republican nominee for North Carolina House District 44. The couple resides in Cumberland County, but publicly available sources do not detail her education or prior professional experience ¹⁶¹⁷.

Before seeking the state Senate, de la Cruz ran for a seat on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners in District 2. In the March 5, 2024 Republican primary, she announced she would not actively campaign, saying she wanted to “lose the primary” and instead support three other GOP candidates she believed could do the job ¹⁶¹⁷. The primary is a three‑seat contest, with the top three vote‑getters advancing to the November general election.

Her decision to step back from campaigning was framed as a matter of personal faith. She said she prayed for guidance and received a “clear revelation” that she should not pursue the office, though she left the door open to re‑enter the race if she felt called by the Lord ¹⁶¹⁷.

Despite not campaigning, de la Cruz 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’s contributions. This placed her ahead of her GOP rivals, though she remained far behind the Democratic frontrunner, who raised over $10,000 ¹⁸.

No public email address or phone number for de la Cruz appears in the available sources, and her campaign website is not listed. The Ballotpedia entry serves as the primary online profile for her candidacy.

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