The 2024 GOP Nominee

Robert Rochford's 2024 Record

The candidate Hillsborough Republicans chose in 2024 lost the general election to Kathy Castor by 15.3 points — and is running again in the 2026 GOP primary against John Peters, rooted in Brandon.

2024 GOP primary: 54.1%
2024 general: 41.6%
Loss margin: 15.3 pts
Vote gap: 53,780

Last updated 2026-05-13 · Hillsborough County, FL-14

Quick answers

Who is Robert Rochford?: Robert "Rocky" Rochford is a retired U.S. Navy Captain (33-year career, 1985-2018) and the 2024 Republican nominee for Florida's 14th Congressional District. He is running again in the 2026 GOP primary against John Peters. News FEC
Did Rochford run for FL-14 before?: Yes. Rochford won the 2024 Republican primary on August 20, 2024 with 54.1% of the vote (15,575 votes), defeating John Peters (27.0%), Ehsan Joarder (13.3%), and Neelam Perry (5.5%). He then lost the November 5, 2024 general election to incumbent Kathy Castor. News
What is Florida's 14th Congressional District?: Florida's 14th Congressional District covers Hillsborough County under the redistricting law (HB-1D) signed by Governor DeSantis on May 4, 2026. The district includes Tampa, Brandon, Valrico, Riverview, Plant City, Sun City Center, and Apollo Beach. Kathy Castor has represented the seat since 2007. Doc
What happened in the 2024 FL-14 race?: Rochford won the GOP primary by a 2-to-1 margin, then lost the general election to Castor 41.6% to 56.9% (145,643 votes to 199,423 votes). The margin was 15.3 points, or 53,780 votes. The Florida Secretary of State certified the result. Twenty-two days later, Rochford filed an election complaint in Leon County Circuit Court seeking nullification of the result. News Court

The 2024 sequence

Florida's 14th Congressional District, 2024

A dated record of the prior cycle: filing through general result through post-loss litigation. Each waypoint cites a public-record source.

April 26, 2024
GOP primary field set

Rochford filed for the FL-14 Republican primary alongside John Peters, Ehsan Joarder, and Neelam Perry. News
August 20, 2024
GOP primary result

Rochford won the Republican primary with 54.1% (15,575 votes). John Peters placed second at 27.0% (7,771 votes). Total turnout 28,777. News
October 3, 2024
General campaign coverage

Tampa Bay Times published its general-election voter guide covering Rochford as the Republican challenger. News
November 5, 2024
General election result

Kathy Castor (D) won re-election with 56.9% (199,423 votes). Rochford (R) received 41.6% (145,643 votes). Margin: 15.3 points; 53,780 votes. Total turnout 350,185. Results certified by the Florida Secretary of State. News
November 27, 2024
Election complaint filed

Twenty-two days after the certified result, Rochford filed an election complaint in Florida's Second Judicial Circuit (Case #211880936) seeking nullification of the certified results and a new election. Full treatment in the Post-Loss Litigation section below. Court

Cluster One · Cycle One Track Record

2024 Outcomes

The public record of the prior cycle: who voted, what the totals were, and what the campaign infrastructure looked like behind the result.

1.1 General election result, November 5, 2024

Candidate	Party	Vote share	Votes
Kathy Castor (incumbent)	D	56.9%	199,423
Robert Rochford	R	41.6%	145,643
Christopher Bradley	NPA	0.7%	2,595
Nathaniel Snyder	L	0.7%	2,524
Total turnout			350,185

Castor defeated Rochford by 15.3 points, a gap of 53,780 votes. The Florida Secretary of State certified the result. News Doc

Sources: Tampa Bay Times general election results (November 5, 2024); WUSF Hillsborough election results coverage; Ballotpedia FL-14 2024 race summary; Florida Division of Elections certified results.

1.2 Republican primary result, August 20, 2024

Candidate	Vote share	Votes
Robert Rochford	54.1%	15,575
John Peters	27.0%	7,771
Ehsan Joarder	13.3%	3,837
Neelam Perry	5.5%	1,594
Total turnout		28,777

Rochford carried the Republican primary by a 2-to-1 margin over John Peters. Hillsborough Republicans nominated him to challenge Castor. News Archive

Sources: Ballotpedia Florida's 14th Congressional District election, 2024 (Republican primary section); Bay News 9 AP wire coverage of the August 21, 2024 nomination call.

1.3 Campaign finance infrastructure, 2024 cycle

Total receipts: $72,883
Total disbursements: $70,703
Self-funded by candidate: $33,120 (45%)
PAC contributions: $0
Cash on hand, year-end: $2,180
Cash range, all of cycle: $2K to $7K

The 2024 Rochford campaign raised $72,883 over the full cycle, of which $33,120 (45%) came from the candidate's own contributions. The campaign received zero PAC support and zero party committee transfers. Cash reserves never crossed $7,000 in any quarter. Coverage period 2023-07-01 through 2024-12-31, per FEC committee C00847616. FEC FEC

Sources: FEC committee C00847616 "ROBERT A -ROCKY- ROCHFORD FOR CONGRESS" totals endpoint, 2024 cycle; FEC committee C00847616 schedule_a (individual contributions, 2024).

1.4 Largest single 2024 expenditure: ballot qualifying fee

Recipient: Florida Division of Elections, Tallahassee FL
Amount: $10,440.00
Purpose: Qualifying fee

The single largest 2024 expenditure was the $10,440 qualifying fee paid to the Florida Division of Elections for ballot access. With zero PAC contributions and zero party transfers, the candidate's own contributions covered the path to the ballot. FEC

Source: FEC committee C00847616 schedule_b (disbursements, 2024 cycle), top recipient line.

The four 2024 outcome surfaces above set the factual base for the rest of this audit. Each subsequent section anchors to a specific post-loss action (Cluster 2), a documented geographic pattern (Cluster 3), a donor and funding profile (Cluster 4), or a credentials and endorsement structure (Cluster 5).

Cluster Two · Active Through 2026

After the 2024 General Election

The Florida Secretary of State certified the November 5, 2024 result. Twenty-two days later, Rochford filed an election complaint in Leon County Circuit Court seeking to nullify the certified results and order a new election. The litigation remains active in 2026, with in-kind legal expenditures disclosed on the campaign committee's 2026-cycle reports.

2.1 Court Filing #211880936

Court: Florida Second Judicial Circuit, Leon County
Filing #: 211880936
Date filed: 2024-11-27, 18:15 ET
Days after certified result: 22
Counsel: Peter Ticktin, Ticktin Law Group, Deerfield Beach FL
Central allegation: Vote-by-mail request spike of 198,166 on September 9, 2024

The complaint asked the court to take three actions:

(1) an independent investigation into the administration of vote-by-mail ballots in the 2024 election, (2) nullification of the election results, and (3) the order of a new election.

The primary-source filing is hosted by Democracy Docket; the case is tracked publicly under "Rochford v. Castor." Court Court

Sources: Court filing #211880936 PDF (E-Filed 2024-11-27 18:15:01) at democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-11-27-Complaint.pdf; Democracy Docket case tracker at democracydocket.com/cases/florida-14th-congressional-district-election-contest/.

2.2 FEC in-kind legal corroboration, 2026 cycle

Recipient	Description	Amount
American Rights Alliance, West Palm Beach FL	In-kind attorney fees for representation (corrected)	$3,500.00
Matthew Ivanov, Tampa FL	In-kind legal fees from lawsuit	$3,225.00
Total in-kind legal, 2026 cycle disclosure		$6,725.00

Both in-kind line items carry a disbursement date of 2025-06-30 and were disclosed on the July 2025 (Q2) quarterly report of the 2026 cycle. The presence of active legal in-kind expenditures more than seven months after the complaint filing date independently corroborates that the litigation remained active in 2026. FEC FEC

Source: FEC committee C00847616 schedule_b, July 2025 (Q2) quarterly report. Endpoint pattern: /v1/schedules/schedule_b/?committee_id=C00847616&two_year_transaction_period=2026.

2.3 Three dated points on election integrity

The same candidate stated three different positions on election integrity at three dated moments. Each row below is a verbatim public-record quote with the date and source.

Point 1 · 2023 (pre-loss)

"How should election integrity be improved? As a constitutional republic, what would you like to see happen to ensure EVERY LEGAL VOTE COUNTS?"

Rochford's 2024 campaign website text, mirrored by Ballotpedia in his Candidate Connection survey response. The election-integrity section was phrased as a rhetorical question; no position statement followed. Archive

Source: Ballotpedia, "Robert Rochford" Candidate Connection survey (completed 2023, 2024 cycle), Campaign website section.

Point 2 · 2024-11-27 (22 days post-loss)

"(2) nullification of the election results, and (3) the order of a new election."

Court filing #211880936 relief sought (excerpts), filed by the Ticktin Law Group on Rochford's behalf in the Florida Second Judicial Circuit, Leon County. Court

Source: Court filing #211880936 PDF at democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-11-27-Complaint.pdf; reporting at Florida Phoenix, 2024-12-04.

Point 3 · 2026 (current cycle position)

"Election Integrity: One Citizen, One Vote, Hand Counted."

rocky4congress.com /what-are-the-issues, position statement, cached 2026-05-13. Archive

Source: rocky4congress.com /what-are-the-issues, retrieved 2026-05-13 (Phase 1A audit cache).

2.4 Third-party reporting trail

Independent outlets covered the December 2024 filing and tracked the case into 2026. The reporting trail below catalogs dated third-party coverage.

Florida Phoenix, 2024-12-04 News

"Election complaint filed by Republican Rocky Rochford, who lost to Kathy Castor in CD-14 race." Reported that Rochford sought to nullify the certification and order a new election.

floridaphoenix.com/2024/12/04/election-complaint-filed-by-republican-rocky-rochford-who-lost-to-kathy-castor-in-cd-14-race/
Democracy Docket, ongoing case tracker Court

Live litigation tracker for "Rochford v. Castor," covering Florida 14th Congressional District election contest. Hosts the primary-source filing PDF.

democracydocket.com/cases/florida-14th-congressional-district-election-contest/
Creative Loafing Tampa, post-loss follow-up News

"After losing by over 15 points to Kathy Castor, Tampa Bay Republican 'Rocky' Rochford demands an investigation." Local-outlet coverage of the complaint.

cltampa.com/news/after-losing-by-over-15-points-to-kathy-castor-tampa-bay-republican-rocky-rochford-demands-an-investigation-19075587/
Tampa Bay 28, local coverage News

"Rocky Rochford files complaint for election fraud after losing 14th Congressional District race."

tampabay28.com/news/local-news/rocky-rochford-files-complaint-for-election-fraud-after-losing-14th-congressional-district-race
News From The States and Yahoo News, Florida Phoenix mirrors News

Statewide and national mirror coverage of the December 2024 filing, expanding distribution beyond the Florida Phoenix original.

newsfromthestates.com/article/election-complaint-filed-republican-rocky-rochford-who-lost-kathy-castor-cd-14-race · yahoo.com/news/election-complaint-filed-republican-rocky-193247801.html

The 2024 general result was certified November 25, 2024. The complaint was filed November 27, 2024. The litigation is reflected in the 2026 campaign committee's filings through in-kind legal expenditures dated June 30, 2025. The record is dated and active.

Cluster Three · Two-Cycle Pattern

Where the Candidate Lives, How He Describes the District

Constitutional context

Federal law does not require House candidates to live inside the district they run for. Article I, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution requires only that a Representative be "an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen." Both Rochford and John Peters meet the Florida residency requirement. Doc

This section therefore presents the residency facts and the candidate's own district descriptions as voter-judgment material, not an eligibility claim. The receipts below are public-record FEC filings and verbatim quotes from the candidate's own website.

Source: U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 2, Clause 2.

3.1 FEC-confirmed residence: Thonotosassa, FL 33592

Self-filed ZIP: 33592 (Thonotosassa, FL)
FEC source line: $20,000.00 self-donation, 2024-03-29
FEC committee: C00847616
ZIP 33592 currently in: Florida's 15th Congressional District
2024 FL-14 boundary: Western Hillsborough plus southeastern Pinellas
Boundary status: Outside the 2024 FL-14 district

Rochford's own FEC filing places his residence in Thonotosassa, in northeast Hillsborough County. The 2024 FL-14 district covered western Hillsborough and southeastern Pinellas, including most of Tampa. ZIP 33592 is currently mapped to Florida's 15th Congressional District. By his own filing, Rochford lived outside the district he ran for in 2024. FEC Doc

Sources: FEC committee C00847616 schedule_a, 2024 cycle, $20,000 self-donation entry dated 2024-03-29 with self-filed donor address THONOTOSASSA, FL 33592; greatdata.com ZIP-to-district lookup for ZIP 33592; Wikipedia and U.S. Census Bureau congressional district maps for FL-14 (2024 cycle).

3.2 2026 site description of the district

The candidate's own 2026 campaign homepage describes the district as follows (verbatim, cached 2026-05-13):

"District 14 spans Tampa, east Saint Petersburg, and western Hillsborough County."

Two facts are in tension with that description:

East Saint Petersburg is in Pinellas County. The current rocky4congress.com homepage places it inside FL-14.
Florida HB 1D, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on May 4, 2026, redrew FL-14 to Hillsborough County only. After HB 1D, no portion of Pinellas County, including east Saint Petersburg, is in FL-14.

The site copy was retrieved nine days after HB 1D was signed and remains unchanged. Archive Doc

Sources: rocky4congress.com homepage, retrieved 2026-05-13 (Phase 1A audit cache); Florida HB 1D as signed 2026-05-04; Florida Division of Elections current FL-14 district map.

3.3 Two-cycle geographic-accuracy pattern

2024 cycle

Candidate self-filed FEC residence in Thonotosassa, ZIP 33592 (FL-15 territory). Ran for FL-14.

Source: FEC C00847616 schedule_a (2024 self-donation). FEC

2026 cycle

Campaign homepage describes FL-14 as including east Saint Petersburg (Pinellas County). After HB 1D (2026-05-04), FL-14 is Hillsborough County only. Running for FL-14.

Source: rocky4congress.com homepage cache 2026-05-13; HB 1D. Archive Doc

The two cycles share a pattern: the candidate's own filings and his own campaign copy reflect a district he did not live in (2024) and a district as he describes it that does not match the current statutory boundary (2026). FEC Archive Doc

Sources: as cited in Surfaces 3.1 and 3.2 above.

Federal law does not require district residency. The receipts above are voter-judgment material, drawn from the candidate's own FEC filings and his own current campaign website.

Cluster Four · Outside Money, Outside Operators

Where the 2026 Money Comes From

Donor geography, top vendor, and a recap of the 2024 fundraising baseline. All figures are pulled directly from FEC committee C00847616 self-filings.

4.1 2026 itemized donor geography

State	Itemized total	Donors	% of itemized
Florida	$28,675	13	46.9%
Texas	$12,500	4	20.4%
New York	$9,500	3	15.5%
California	$7,000	2	11.4%
Georgia	$2,000	1	3.3%
Virginia	$1,000	1	1.6%
Iowa	$500	1	0.8%
Total itemized	$61,175	25	100.0%
Out-of-state share	$32,500	12	53.1%

More than half of Rochford's itemized 2026 donations (53.1%, or $32,500 of $61,175) come from outside Florida. Texas, New York, and California donors together account for 47.4% of the itemized total. FEC FEC

Source: FEC committee C00847616 schedule_a by-state endpoint, 2026 cycle. Endpoint pattern: /v1/schedules/schedule_a/by_state/?committee_id=C00847616&cycle=2026. Computed out-of-state share = ($32,500 / $61,175) = 53.1%.

4.2 Top 2026 donors and intra-FL geography

Top donors at the $3,500 FEC individual contribution maximum, with city, ZIP, and FL-14 boundary status. The status column distinguishes Hillsborough (post-HB-1D FL-14 territory) from out-of-state and intra-FL but out-of-FL-14 donors.

Donor	City, State	ZIP	Amount	Status
Witcher, Chad	Rosemary Beach, FL	32461	$3,500	FL, outside FL-14 (panhandle)
Kohlhepp, Robert	Naples, FL	34102	$3,500	FL, outside FL-14 (SW Florida)
Hernandez, Orriel	Lutz, FL	33548	$3,500	Hillsborough (FL-14)
Spencer, Richard	Fresno, CA	93727	$3,500	Out-of-state (CA)
Spencer, Karen	Fresno, CA	93727	$3,500	Out-of-state (CA)
Sharbauer, Douglas	Midland, TX	79702	$3,500	Out-of-state (TX)
Covington, Gary	Midland, TX	79704	$3,500	Out-of-state (TX)
Taylor, Margaretta J	New York, NY	10022	$3,500	Out-of-state (NY)

Of the maxed-out individual donors above, only one (Hernandez, Lutz) lives in the current FL-14 district. The remaining seven max-out donors are either in other Florida regions (Rosemary Beach in the panhandle, Naples in southwest Florida) or in out-of-state markets (Texas oil country, California, New York). FEC

Source: FEC committee C00847616 schedule_a, 2026 cycle, sorted by contribution amount descending. Endpoint pattern: /v1/schedules/schedule_a/?committee_id=C00847616&cycle=2026&sort=-contribution_receipt_amount.

4.3 Top 2026 vendor

Vendor: Jay Rao, Charlotte, NC
2026 cycle total: $17,939.75
Service: Fundraising consulting
FEC line memos: "FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT" / "FUNDRAISING CONSULT-ZELLE/TRUIST"

The single largest 2026 cycle expenditure line on Rochford's FEC schedule_b goes to a fundraising consultant in Charlotte, North Carolina. Across the 2026 cycle through the April 2026 quarterly filing, Jay Rao billed $17,939.75 to the committee.

Other top 2026 vendors for context: American Rights Alliance ($3,500 in-kind, attorney fees for litigation representation), Matthew Ivanov ($3,225 in-kind, legal fees from lawsuit), and continuing campaign-manager line items to Jaime Arellano. The Stop 2 Cluster on Post-Loss Litigation covers the in-kind legal lines in full; this surface does not duplicate those citations. FEC

Source: FEC committee C00847616 schedule_b, 2026 cycle, sorted by disbursement amount descending. Endpoint pattern: /v1/schedules/schedule_b/?committee_id=C00847616&cycle=2026&sort=-disbursement_amount.

4.4 2024 cycle infrastructure recap

For comparative context, the 2024 baseline figures (full detail in Surface 1.3 and Surface 1.4):

Total receipts (2024): $72,883
Total disbursements (2024): $70,703
Self-funded share: $33,120 (45%)
PAC contributions: $0
Largest single 2024 expenditure: $10,440 (FL Division of Elections qualifying fee)

The 2024 cycle finished with $72,882.58 raised and 45% self-funded against an incumbent who raises in seven figures per cycle. The 2026 cycle shifts the donor composition toward out-of-state sources (53.1% out-of-state itemized, per Surface 4.1 above) while continuing zero PAC support.

Source: FEC committee C00847616 totals endpoint, 2024 + 2026 cycles. See Cluster 1 Surfaces 1.3 + 1.4 for full 2024 detail.

All figures in this cluster come from FEC committee C00847616 self-filings. The pattern is dated: 53.1% out-of-state itemized donor share in 2026, a Charlotte NC fundraising consultant as the top vendor, and zero PAC support across both cycles.

Cluster Five · What's Documented, What's Listed

Credentials and Endorsements

Officeholder history, endorsement composition, and credential claims. Receipts pulled from Ballotpedia, BallotReady, FEC self-filings, and the rocky4congress.com endorsement page cache.

5.1 Officeholder history

Twice a candidate, never an officeholder.

Rochford has held zero elected offices at any level, including federal, state, county, and municipal. His first political action was the 2024 FL-14 congressional campaign. The 2026 cycle is his second candidacy.

Four independent sources confirm the no-officeholder history. Doc Doc News

Sources: Ballotpedia, "Robert Rochford" candidate profile, "Political offices held: NA"; BallotReady candidate profile (no prior office); FEC candidate detail H4FL14117 (first filing 2024 cycle); Tampa Bay Times 2024 election coverage.

5.2 Endorsement composition

The rocky4congress.com endorsement page lists 12 named non-military endorsers plus a separately presented military endorsement roster of approximately 30 retired officers. The 12 named non-military endorsers are broken into verification tiers below.

Tier 1: Ballotpedia-confirmed (3): U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL); State Rep. Berny Jacques (R); Frmr. State Rep. Jackie Toledo (R). Ballotpedia carries these three on its Rochford page endorsement section; endorser-side primary sources (Scott's official campaign, Jacques and Toledo direct social channels) have not been located at audit time.
Tier 2: Candidate-claimed, nationally controversial figures (4): Roger Stone; Jerome Corsi; Ann Vandersteel; Col. Douglas Macgregor (the Macgregor relationship is documented on rocky4congress.com as an interview rather than a formal endorsement). No endorser-side primary source located.
Tier 3: Candidate-claimed only (5): Attorney Peter Ticktin; Pastor Ernie Rivera; Apostle Louis Capdevila; Jaime Arellano; Sharon Newby; Cathy Chamberlain. Three of these names cross-match with FEC schedule_b paid relationships, treated separately in Surface 5.3 below.

Even the Tier 1 Ballotpedia-confirmed endorsements (Scott, Jacques, Toledo) lack endorser-side primary sources verified at audit time. All 12 named non-military endorsements on Rochford's page are effectively candidate-claimed, with Ballotpedia mirroring three of them. Surface 5.5 below revisits this audit-time finding. Doc Archive

Sources: Ballotpedia "Robert Rochford" page, Endorsements section; rocky4congress.com /endorsements, cached 2026-05-13 (Phase 1A audit cache).

5.3 Endorsers who are also FEC-paid campaign personnel

Three of the 12 named endorsers on Rochford's endorsement page also appear in his FEC committee C00847616 schedule_b as paid campaign staff or counsel. That is 25% of the named endorsement list. The same three names are also 3 of the 12 individual paid persons across both cycles in his schedule_b. The pattern reads identically from either direction.

Name	FEC role	FEC total	Listed endorser?
Pastor Ernie Rivera	Campaign staff (2024)	$10,250.00	Yes
Jaime Arellano	Campaign manager (2024 + 2026); campaign contact email holder (`Jaime@Rocky4Congress.com`)	$42,020.35	Yes
Attorney Peter Ticktin	Lead counsel on court filing #211880936; paid via American Rights Alliance in-kind	$3,500.00 in-kind	Yes
Total paid-and-endorser		$55,770.35	3 of 12 (25%)

Rivera and Arellano were paid campaign staff during the 2024 cycle and continue (Arellano) into the 2026 cycle. Ticktin's in-kind contribution corresponds to representation on the November 2024 election complaint covered in Cluster 2. The reader can verify each row against the FEC committee filings. FEC FEC FEC

Sources: FEC committee C00847616 schedule_b, 2024 cycle (Rivera, Arellano), 2026 cycle (Arellano continuing, Ticktin in-kind via American Rights Alliance). The Ticktin in-kind line shares its citation with Cluster 2 Surface 2.2; the same FEC entry corroborates both the litigation and the paid-staff-as-endorser observation.

5.4 Naval credential claims, 2024 versus 2026

Rochford's 2026 campaign homepage adds two large-figure Naval credential claims that are not present in his 2024 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. Independent corroboration of the 2026 figures was not located at audit time. The comparison below presents what is documented in each cycle, as verbatim quotes from each source.

2024 Candidate Connection survey

"In my last job as Commodore for Naval Beach Group ONE, in San Diego, I lead more than 2,200 sailors, civilians, and contractors. Meticulously managing an annual budget of more than $75M."

Source: Ballotpedia, "Robert Rochford" Candidate Connection survey, completed 2023 for the 2024 cycle. Doc

2026 rocky4congress.com homepage

"He managed $75 million annual budgets, oversaw $300 billion in U.S. Navy assets, and directed $5.4 billion in national security programs."

Source: rocky4congress.com homepage, cached 2026-05-13 (Phase 1A audit cache). Archive

The $75M Naval Beach Group ONE annual budget figure appears in both cycles. The $300 billion Navy assets and $5.4 billion national security programs figures appear only in the 2026 cycle. Independent corroboration for the larger 2026-only figures was not located at audit time. The 2024 Candidate Connection survey honors language (Arleigh Burke Fellow, VADM Samuel L. Gravely Scholar) is also not retained on the 2026 homepage. Doc Archive

Sources: Ballotpedia, "Robert Rochford" Candidate Connection survey (2024 cycle); rocky4congress.com homepage, retrieved 2026-05-13.

5.5 Endorsement primary-source weakness

Across all three tiers in Surface 5.2, endorser-side primary sources for the named endorsements were not located via search at audit time. Tier 1 (Scott, Jacques, Toledo) is mirrored on Ballotpedia, but Ballotpedia's own listing appears to source from the candidate's own claims rather than from independent endorser-side announcements. Tier 2 figures (Stone, Corsi, Vandersteel, Macgregor) and Tier 3 names are candidate-claimed only.

This page therefore presents the endorsements as the candidate's own claims. The Phase 1B follow-up task (open question Q5 in the audit doc §15) is direct endorser-channel verification via each endorser's primary channels. Any successful verification will produce a Stop-5 amendment to this surface. Archive

Source: rocky4congress.com /endorsements, cached 2026-05-13 (Phase 1A audit cache).

Cluster 5 receipts come from FEC self-filings, Ballotpedia, BallotReady, and the rocky4congress.com endorsement page cache. All sources are dated to audit pull date. The full list of citation URLs appears in the Sources section below.

Citation index

Sources

Every claim on this page cites a public-record source. Citation chips in the body indicate source class (court filing, FEC report, news outlet, archive snapshot, public document). Each bucket below carries the numbered primary-source URLs; in-body Source lines describe which entries apply to each cluster surface.

Court Court filings

Court filing #211880936, Rochford v. Castor, Florida Second Judicial Circuit (Leon County), e-filed 2024-11-27 18:15 ET, counsel Peter Ticktin / Ticktin Law Group. Primary-source PDF: democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-11-27-Complaint.pdf. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
Democracy Docket case tracker, "Florida 14th Congressional District election contest" (live litigation tracker). democracydocket.com/cases/florida-14th-congressional-district-election-contest/. Retrieved 2026-05-13.

FEC FEC filings (committee C00847616)

FEC candidate detail, H4FL14117 (ROCHFORD, ROBERT ANTHONY "ROCKY" CAPT). fec.gov/data/candidate/H4FL14117/. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
FEC committee C00847616 (ROBERT A "ROCKY" ROCHFORD FOR CONGRESS), main committee page. fec.gov/data/committee/C00847616/. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
FEC committee totals endpoint, 2024 cycle (receipts, disbursements, individual contributions, PAC contributions). Endpoint: /v1/committee/C00847616/totals/?cycle=2024. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
FEC schedule_a (itemized contributions) by transaction period 2024, sort by amount descending. Source for the $20,000 Rochford self-donation 2024-03-29 with Thonotosassa FL 33592 self-filed address, and for Rivera and Arellano paid-staff entries. Endpoint: /v1/schedules/schedule_a/?committee_id=C00847616&two_year_transaction_period=2024&sort=-contribution_receipt_amount. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
FEC schedule_a (itemized contributions) by-state rollup, 2026 cycle. Source for 7-state donor geography (FL $28,675 / TX $12,500 / NY $9,500 / CA $7,000 / GA $2,000 / VA $1,000 / IA $500; out-of-state share 53.1%). Endpoint: /v1/schedules/schedule_a/by_state/?committee_id=C00847616&cycle=2026. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
FEC schedule_b (disbursements) by transaction period 2024 and 2026, sort by amount descending. Source for the $10,440 FL Division of Elections qualifying fee, Jay Rao Charlotte NC $17,939.75 fundraising consulting, American Rights Alliance $3,500 in-kind, Matthew Ivanov $3,225 in-kind, Arellano $42,020.35 campaign manager, Rivera $10,250 campaign staff. Endpoint: /v1/schedules/schedule_b/?committee_id=C00847616&two_year_transaction_period=<cycle>&sort=-disbursement_amount. Retrieved 2026-05-13.

News News reporting

Florida Phoenix, "Election complaint filed by Republican Rocky Rochford, who lost to Kathy Castor in CD-14 race," published 2024-12-04. floridaphoenix.com/2024/12/04/election-complaint-filed-by-republican-rocky-rochford-who-lost-to-kathy-castor-in-cd-14-race/.
Creative Loafing Tampa, "After losing by over 15 points to Kathy Castor, Tampa Bay Republican 'Rocky' Rochford demands an investigation." cltampa.com/news/...-19075587/.
Creative Loafing Tampa, "Tampa Bay Elections 2024: Winners and losers," by Ray Roa, published 2024-11-05. cltampa.com/news/tampa-bay-elections-2024-winners-and-losers-18901848/.
Tampa Bay 28, "Rocky Rochford files complaint for election fraud after losing 14th Congressional District race." tampabay28.com/news/local-news/rocky-rochford-files-complaint....
Bay News 9 (AP wire), "Robert Rochford wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in Florida's 14th Congressional District," published 2024-08-21. baynews9.com/fl/tampa/ap-online/2024/08/21/....
Tampa Bay Times, "Election results: Florida Legislature and Congress," published 2024-11-05. tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/elections/2024/11/05/results-congress-senate-house-legislature/.
WUSF, "Hillsborough voters say yes to dual tax referendums; Castor reelected," published 2024-11-05. wusf.org/politics-issues/2024-11-05/hillsborough-election-results-2024-two-tax-referendums-approved-kathy-castor-reelected.

Archive Archive snapshots (rocky4congress.com Phase 1A cache)

rocky4congress.com homepage, cached 2026-05-13 (Phase 1A audit). Source for 2026 site district description ("District 14 spans Tampa, east Saint Petersburg, and western Hillsborough County") and Naval credential claims ("oversaw $300 billion in U.S. Navy assets, and directed $5.4 billion in national security programs"). Live URL: rocky4congress.com/.
rocky4congress.com /endorsements, cached 2026-05-13 (Phase 1A audit). Source for 12 named non-military endorsers and the separately presented military endorsement roster. Live URL: rocky4congress.com/endorsements.
rocky4congress.com /what-are-the-issues, cached 2026-05-13 (Phase 1A audit). Source for "Election Integrity: One Citizen, One Vote, Hand Counted" current cycle position. Live URL: rocky4congress.com/what-are-the-issues.
Wayback Machine snapshot of rocky4congress.com /blog-/-press-releases, captured 2026-03-15. Confirms blog/press-releases page rendered zero content two months prior to audit date. web.archive.org/web/20260315073434/....

Doc Public documents

Ballotpedia, "Robert Rochford" candidate profile. Source for officeholder history ("Political offices held: NA"), 2024 cycle Candidate Connection survey responses, and Tier 1 endorsement mirror list. ballotpedia.org/Robert_Rochford. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
Ballotpedia, "Florida's 14th Congressional District election, 2024." Source for 2024 GOP primary results (Rochford 54.1% / 15,575; Peters 27.0% / 7,771; Joarder 13.3% / 3,837; Perry 5.5% / 1,594; turnout 28,777) and general election results (Castor 56.9% / 199,423; Rochford 41.6% / 145,643; turnout 350,185). ballotpedia.org/Florida's_14th_Congressional_District_election,_2024. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
BallotReady, Robert "Rocky" Rochford candidate profile. Cross-source for zero-officeholder history. ballotready.org/people/robert-rochford-.... Retrieved 2026-05-13.
Florida HB 1D, "Congressional Redistricting" (2026 special session); signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on 2026-05-04. Defines current FL-14 as Hillsborough County only.
Florida Division of Elections, 2024 general election certified results. Source for the certified Castor-Rochford margin of 15.3 points / 53,780 votes. dos.myflorida.com/elections/.
U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 2, Clause 2: "No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen." Source for the Cluster 3 constitutional caveat (state residency requirement, no district residency requirement).
ZIP-to-district lookup for 33592 (Thonotosassa, FL): currently mapped to Florida's 15th Congressional District. greatdata.com/congress/33592. Retrieved 2026-05-13.

Page last updated 2026-05-13. Sources are dated to retrieval time where indicated. Phase 1B follow-ups (per audit doc §15) will refresh court-docket status, Wayback snapshots, and endorser-side primary verifications; any material amendments will ship as page revisions.

FL-14 GOP Primary · August 18, 2026

Hillsborough Republicans chose a candidate in 2024 — the seat stayed Democratic.

The 2024 record is dated and public. The 2026 primary is the next decision. Hillsborough Republicans choose again on August 18, 2026.

Pledge to vote in the primary Support the campaign