With early voting underway in Central New York and June primary less than a week away, Spectrum News reached out to candidates running in competitive primary races to get their unfiltered answers on 10 big questions facing voters and the nation as we head toward the November election.

Claudia Tenney, a Mohawk Valley Republican and former congresswoman, is eying a rematch in the fall against Democrat Rep. Anthony Brindisi, who unseated her in 2018. To do that, Tenney will need to beat George Phillips in Tuesday's Republican primary. Tenney has the backing of many national Republicans, including President Donald Trump.

• Read George Phillips' Q&A
  

Our questions are in bold, with the candidate's answer following.

There is a growing focus on the role of police officers across the country. What specific changes, if any, should be made to prevent, identify, address, and monitor cases in which members of law enforcement have abused their positions?

Our police deserve our full support. They do a dangerous and hard job on our behalf. At the same time, they need to be fully qualified, highly trained, and strongly accountable. Officers who betray the public’s trust including the inappropriate use of force need to be held accountable through professional and, if necessary, criminal means. President Trump’s executive order to improve police training, use of force reporting, and deploying civilian co-responders to resolve situations are good first steps toward improving policing and ensuring justice for all.

Officers respond to calls for everything from mental health emergencies to domestic violence and drug-related offenses. Some communities are considering reducing law enforcement budgets, in order to send more funding to agencies designed to address those issues. Why do you support or object to the idea?

More resources that are targeted at the needs of the most vulnerable are absolutely necessary. Police should work in tandem with social workers and other co-responders to aid distressed individuals without locking them up, if possible. But defunding the police is a terrible idea and a fundamental misunderstanding of how local budgets work. Cutting the police budget does not easily make available money for social services since police are still necessary to co-respond to such calls and social service start-up costs are more than any police cuts would be.

How would you ensure that police officers and the public are adequately and properly protected?

Police need more resources and higher standards of training and pay to ensure we recruit and retain the best possible officers. Highly skilled officers who are appreciated and accountable make fewer mistakes and build community trust. I will always fight for efficient and effective but sufficient police budgets.

What does Black Lives Matter mean to you?

Every single American has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Race, sex, age, or station in life can never be a barrier to receiving fair and equal treatment before the law. That pursuit of a more perfect union continues and is a worthy journey.

What steps should be taken to prevent and prepare for another possible infectious outbreak, similar to the COVID-19 pandemic?

We must reform the WHO and CDC to ensure that any and all information they disseminate to the public is accurate and timely. The fact that communist China manipulated the WHO costs tens of thousands of American lives and Beijing and the WHO must pay. The CDC’s slow response and its testing delays contributed to this failure. As we learned here in New York, the most vulnerable especially our seniors and the immunocompromised must be protected first and foremost. Tragically, instead of saving those most at-risk, Governor Cuomo accelerated the spread in nursing homes. This can never happen again.

The coronavirus shutdown tested the rights of individuals during a national emergency. Tens of thousands of people died. Just as many families lost part, or all, of their income for months. In the event of a similar pandemic, would you support another shutdown? If not, describe a response you would support.

The shutdown was handled poorly and disproportionately harmed regions that did not need to have severe restrictions put in place. The specific circumstances of any future pandemic must dictate the response but a one-size-fits-all approach failed Americans and Upstate New Yorkers.

On the heels of the shutdown, record numbers of people have filed for unemployment, the stock market is rising and falling dramatically, and local municipalities are facing large budget shortfalls. What is the appropriate federal response?

The best response is to get our economy moving again and make strategic loans and investments to ensure we recover quickly and strong. The federal government may be in a position to guarantee loans or offer limited, often repayable, financial support including advances on future grants but that must be on a case-by-case basis. States with bloated budgets and overextended commitments like California or Illinois cannot rely on Washington to pay their bills using the shutdown as an excuse for debts they accrued for decades.

What do you see as the best path forward to protect and secure elections in the United States?

The best way to protect and secure elections in the U.S. is to require identification verification with every vote. For in-person voting that means voters must produce a state-issued identification, and for absentee, all voters must freely vote themselves, sign, and seal their own ballots. No third-party “ballot harvesting” can be allowed. The secret ballot is sacred and must be safeguarded against those who wish to intrude on its sanctity.

You’re running against another member of your own party. What do you see as the main differences between you?

I am a strong and proven conservative. I have stood up and fought for the people of Central New York and the Southern Tier in Albany and Washington. I’ve fought for lower taxes, good jobs, and our constitutional rights throughout my career. That’s why I have the endorsement of President Trump, the NRA, the Conservative Party of New York, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, Congressman Lee Zeldin, Mike Huckabee, Speaker Newt Gingrich, and many more strong conservatives. My record of commonsense conservative results speaks for itself and is that much stronger when compared to the lack of record of my primary opponent.

Tell us about your background - where you grew up, your career, factors that have shaped your life, and what drew you to politics.

I grew up across the street from the house I live in now in New Hartford. I attended New Hartford High and Colgate before going to law school. I worked in Yugoslavia and speak some Bosnian. I became an attorney – one of the only women in my firm and went on to run my family business and publish newspapers in the district, including the first Bosnian language paper. I have always had a family tradition of service. My father was a Supreme Court judge and my mother was active in local charities. I did a lot of pro bono legal work for ‘underdog’ clients over the years, to help them keep their homes and livelihoods. I entered public life because I have always wanted to make my community strong and free.