Mitch Colvin and Freddie de la Cruz will face off for mayor in Fayetteville general election
Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin will face off against Freddie de la Cruz in the general election for mayor, a repeat of a contest just last year, in unofficial results from Tuesday night’s primary.
Colvin drew 61% of the vote, with de la Cruz a distant second at 22%, in unofficial results provided by the N.C. State Board of Elections website. Former Cumberland County Commissioner Charles Evans finished third with 16% and Quancidine Hinson-Gribble drew just over 1%.
Colvin and de la Cruz will advance to the general election scheduled for Nov. 7.
Colvin said he was “thankful” and “humbled” and said the results show people believe in his vision for the city.
“They spoke that loud and clear tonight,” he said.
Asked about a repeat matchup against de la Cruz, the mayor said his campaign team was going to treat the race “as if this is an entirely new contest.”
He said the city is on the “cusp of greatness” and people were looking for someone with experience to move it forward.
He said he planned to continue to make the case, “I’m the most experienced, with proven results.”
Colvin and de la Cruz last competed in July of 2022, in a rare summer election, in a race the mayor won with 63% of the vote.
Evans: Colvin message resonated
Colvin had been expected by some election watchers to receive his toughest challenge in years against Evans, a popular Cumberland County commissioner who had been elected at-large and had served as the group’s chairperson. But Evans, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress in 2022, could not make headway against Colvin, who is seeking a fourth term.
Evans said on Wednesday morning that the message his “little brother” put out resonated with the community, using a nickname he has sometimes ascribed to the mayor.
“People like Mitch,” he said. “This race was nothing personal. I just had a different viewpoint on what was happening in our community, and as I always do, I went out and addressed it.”
He said he did not know what the future held but he planned to continue to work on issues that matter to him.
“I will never back down from serving,” he said.
Asked which candidate, Colvin or de la Cruz, had a vision for the city that most closely matched his own, Evans said: “That would be hard for me to answer.”
But in a later text message he added: “I will vote for my little brother. Family disagree but at the end of the day you’re still family.”
De la Cruz: I have momentum
De la Cruz said placing ahead of a well-known politician like Evans gave him momentum going into the general election, especially since some local pundits had predicted the general election race would be Colvin vs. Evans. He predicted a higher general election turnout than in past years that he believes could make the difference in his rematch against Colvin.
De la Cruz said more people would know about him and get a chance to hear his message.
“I don’t have deep pockets,” he said “So hopefully people are gonna begin to realize I am a formidable candidate.”
De la Cruz said he had good relations with both Colvin's and Evans' camps, citing interaction with some of the campaign poll workers.
“They know Freddie wants to help people,” he said. “That’s the key.
“I don’t want to be the mayor for Freddie. I want to be mayor where I can be in a position, with my passion for people, I can use that to help more people.”
A shortened campaign
City Council races are scheduled every two years on election off-years, but the 2021 contest was delayed due to late U.S. Census results. That pushed the council primary to May of last year. Colvin placed ahead of five other candidates in that race, setting up his general election win over de la Cruz.
The delay meant a shortened time frame for council candidates and challengers to prepare for this year. Nevertheless, 43 candidates filed for district races and the mayor’s seat in a council race focused on solutions to an alarming rise in violent crime in the city.
Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.
More primary results: Ingram, Davis advance to general election for Fayetteville District 2 Council race
More primary results: Fayetteville City Council District 5: Lynne Greene, Johnny Dawkins go to general election
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville elections: Colvin and de la Cruz come out on top for mayoral slot
