KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. — Jon Rocha is far from a household name in Michigan politics. He’s a Mexican American, football-coaching U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who’s been a very vocal critic of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s pandemic policies.
“I’m just a guy, a guy who’s tired of being oppressed by government, tired of people’s voices not being heard,” Rocha said in an interview with FOX 17 Sunday. "I don’t quit, I’m a fighter, and I want people to know that I’m just like them."
Rocha has set his sights on public office, wanting to unseat one of Michigan’s longest-serving members of Congress, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), in part because Upton voted toimpeach former President Donald Trump following the deadly attack on the Capitol.
“I wouldn't say it's the main reason, I say it's one of the reasons. We have to have an honest congressman in there, and we have to have people that will vote for the people of the district and for those voices,” the pro-Trump Rocha said.
While Rocha won’t say if he thinks the election was stolen, he does say it needs to continue being investigated.
“We need to be transparent with all the people to make sure that everybody has that integral part and they believe the election was fair and square, and then I think we can move on. And if Trump lost, then Trump lost,” Rocha added.
The Portage native’s main concern is with rising costs for people in Michigan's 6th Congressional District, vowing to be a voice for them in Washington D.C.
“Right now, in Congress they need people who are willing to take that fight, who are willing to stick their neck out and really fight for the voices of the unheard,” Rocha says.
In 2020, Upton beat a primary challenger by roughly 25%. He went on to outperform Trump in the general election.
