Navy veteran Rocky Rochford hopes to unseat 20-year incumbent in Tampa Bay

Navy veteran Rocky Rochford served his country for 33 years, holding the title of commodore. Now he’s on a mission to turn Tampa Bay from blue to red, amid a heated campaign to unseat 20-year incumbent Kathy Castor in Florida’s 14th Congressional District.

Rochford recently sat down to discuss his campaign with Fox News Digital.

“So in 20 years, Kathy Castor was the author of two bills that became law. And both were to rename post offices. So I would say Kathy Castor has been ineffective. She hasn’t really helped Tampa Bay in the ways that matter most. Affordability is probably the most important item on everyone’s list of talking points. Gas, groceries, electricity, insurance. I mean, the list goes on and on.”

Rochford emphasizes that his leadership experience has prepared him to be ready to represent the people of Tampa Bay from day one.

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“So it’s about leadership. I’ve spent my entire adult life… 33 years in the Navy, four years at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. I had to go back when I was 18 for the first time before I was in the military. So, it’s ingrained in my being, it’s in my soul, I’m very strong in my faith.

And I believe we need someone who will not only provide leadership in the process, but who will also bring their faith in the process to Washington and be part of the solution. People who are against the other side, no matter what side they’re sitting on, when they’re against the other side to the point where they don’t even want to talk to them, that’s problematic. We won’t get anything, we won’t get anything. And that’s exactly what’s happening in Washington DC right now, we’re seeing a lot of it. »

Children’s rights are an issue at the forefront of Rochford’s campaign.

“I have three major bills that are the culmination of my work. And the first is my children’s bill of rights. I believe that children are the future and they need to be much better protected than they are now. So the laws that govern children are written by 11 different government agencies. These agencies do not overlap or talk to each other. This bill is designed to create a shield, an organization that oversees all of these laws.

“It covers everything from AI for children to online predators, and it has new, tougher penalties. We’re the ones who are going to go after these people. Predators have exploited four different avenues on children across state lines. I’m going to close every one of those doors. Parental rights, no boys in women’s sports. I mean, this bill covers adoption. It covers foster care, egg donation, IVF. It’s comprehensive.”

Rochford argues that foreign influence plays a significant role in shaping electoral outcomes, and takes particular interest in China-based political donor and activist Neville Roy Singham.

Neville Roy Singham smiles during his wedding to Jodie Evans in February 2017 in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. (Osbourne Chin / Chinphotographic)

“There are many people who have nothing to do with the United States… who influence our elections, they influence the people… We know that Neville Singham, an American citizen living in Shanghai, is taking money from the CCP to disrupt America from within. China calls it smokeless warfare, and it really is, and they’re not alone.

“Iran is doing the same thing, we know North Korea is involved, Russia, so there’s a lot of influence here causing havoc, but we as a society have to see beyond that. We are one America, and I am America first. I am American first before politics, America before parties.”

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Florida’s 14th District is not politically monolithic, and Rochford emphasizes that he seeks to represent the entire district, not just Republicans.

“I want to listen. So I’m here not only to listen to the right, I’m here to listen to the center, and I’m here to listen to the left. Because if we can’t come together and find the commonalities that will make us a better country, then we’re doomed as a country. So we have to support what we’re all looking for, which is a great America, a great society that takes care of its own and helps the whole world.”

Rep. Kathy Castor, Democrat of Florida, takes her seat at the House Select Committee hearing on U.S.-Chinese Communist Party Strategic Competition in the Cannnon House office building, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.

He views energy policy and independence as the foundation of affordability for American workers and families.

“So I’ve been talking about affordability for a while. To me, the foundation of affordability for almost everything is energy. The price of oil determines the price of gasoline, which is in our trucks, in our trains, in our planes, in our ships. And so we have to take control. should therefore benefit from it, without causing harm.”

Among the most important policy issues for Rochford was the national debt, which he spent considerable time researching. He has a plan that would reduce the US national debt by the 2060s:

“We don’t want to leave a legacy of debt for our children and grandchildren. So I had to go back 40 years to try to understand where this all started and where we went off the rails. And I understand the whole politics now. Balancing the budget is just treating a symptom. It doesn’t treat the disease. So the disease is Congress, I’m sorry, but it’s true.

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“Every additional amount of money that comes from Congress goes into the general fund and they spend it. And all the big ideas that have been used in the past, because I’ve studied them all in the past about how to fix the national debt, how to balance the budget, the things that will help us get there. They were just policies, they were never laws. So this set of bills is law and it has teeth. And so the very first bill will be designed, it will create a trust and it’s the American National Debt Trust And when the money goes in, it can’t come out and it can’t be spent by Congress in any other way. [my legislation] We would still have to wait until the 2060s to pay off the national debt, but if we do nothing, and we are about to do nothing, in 10 years the national debt will reach $61 trillion. »

Florida’s primary elections will take place on August 18.