Virginia state legislator Nick Freitas seeks seat in U.S. Congress, emphasizes individual liberty

Republican nominee Nick Freitas, who is seeking to unseat Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia's 7th Congressional Distirct during the 2020 general election, said that during his tenure as a member of Virginia's House of Delegates he has advocated for "conservative philosophy."

"Because I really do think ultimately our philosophy is rooted in the idea of individual liberty, of private property rights, personal responsibility—the idea that the government's job is to protect your liberties so that you can live your life the way you want, you can pursue happiness in accordance with your definition of it, not a politician's definition of it," Freitas explained during an interview on the John Solomon Reports podcast.

Freitas, a former Green Beret who did tours in Iraq, has served in the state legislature since 2016, but is campaigning at the national level to take back the long-time Republican district after Democrats flipped it in 2018.

He strongly advocates for free markets and individual innovation over government control.

"I have far more faith in people working together in voluntary cooperation within the marketplace to come up with lasting sustainable solutions that really address the problems within individual and diverse communities than I do some bureaucracy up in D.C. doing whatever the biggest lobbyists tell them to do," he said.

Freitas highlighted President Trump's rollback of regulations as a key accomplishment during the first term of his presidency, and said that with appropriate congressional backing, the president could cut more regulations during a second term.

"I think if we can give president Trump a second term along with a Congress that will actually back him up we can see a whole lot more of that," he said. "And that's what I'm excited about, it's when you unleash the innovative and creative ability of the American people, that's where you actually see real success."

Freitas explained the importance of emphasizing the individual freedom which he said forms the cornerstone of society.

"And when we talk about the individual it's not because we don't care about the community, we just recognize that the building block of community, the building block of society is individual rights and if you're not protecting those individual rights then there is no way you're going to actually provide a society of security and prosperity for the community in general," he said. "And so it has to start with individual liberty."

The congressional candidate wants the federal government to allow increased school choice, and he also advocated for "community-based policing." 

"So I think one of the most important things that the federal government can do is once again recognize that it doesn't have all the answers," he said.