Rocky De La Fuente facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rocky De La Fuente
De La Fuente in January 2016
Born	Roque De La Fuente Guerra (1954-10-10) October 10, 1954 (age 70) San Diego, California, U.S.
Alma mater	National Autonomous University of Mexico
Political party	Republican (2018–present) Alliance (2020–present) Democratic (2016–2017) Reform (2016, 2020) American Delta (2016)
Spouse(s)	Katayoun Yazdani
Children	5

Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente Guerra (born October 10, 1954) is an American businessman and politician. He is known for running in many elections. He was the presidential candidate for the Reform Party in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Rocky De La Fuente also ran for president with his own American Delta Party in 2016. In 2020, he ran with the Alliance Party and the American Independent Party. He tried to get the Democratic nomination for president in 2016. Then, he sought the Republican nomination in 2020. He has also run for Congress many times. He has spoken out against President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

Rocky De La Fuente's Early Life and School

Rocky De La Fuente was born on October 10, 1954. He was born in San Diego, California. His parents were Roque Antonio De La Fuente Alexander and Bertha Guerra Yzaguirre. His family raised him in both Mexico and the United States. He lived in cities like Mexico City, Tijuana, Baja California, San Diego, and Anaheim.

He went to schools run by different religious groups. These included the Legionaries of Christ and the Jesuits. He earned a degree in physics and mathematics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He also studied business at Anahuac University.

Rocky De La Fuente's Business Career

Between 1976 and 1990, Rocky De La Fuente became a successful businessman. He took over his father's car dealerships. He owned 28 car dealerships for brands like Honda and Cadillac. He also started three banks. He opened places for older people to live in Los Angeles. He also had eleven places where people could exchange money.

In 1997, De La Fuente received a large payment. This was for land that the county had taken from him and his father. The county used the land to build a new jail.

In 2004, a government agency called the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) made a rule against De La Fuente. This rule stopped him from working with any bank insured by the FDIC. He fought this rule in court. The court asked the FDIC to look at their decision again.

In 2015, De La Fuente and the city of San Diego solved a long legal problem. This problem was about land he was developing in Otay Mesa. As of 2015, he owned businesses and properties in Mexico, the United States, and Uruguay. He saw a chance to make money from the border wall being built. He owned land along the border that the government might want to use. He planned to ask for a high price for his land.

Rocky De La Fuente's Political Campaigns

Rocky De La Fuente has run for many political offices. He often runs even if he doesn't win.

Running for President in 2016

Rocky De La Fuente at a forum for candidates in January 2016.

De La Fuente ran for president in the 2016 United States presidential election. He first tried to get the Democratic Party's nomination. He did not win any primary elections or any delegates.

Logo of the American Delta Party

He then started his own party, the American Delta Party. He ran as their candidate with Michael Steinberg. He was also the presidential candidate for the Reform Party. This party was on the ballot in a few states. He received 33,136 votes in the main election. This was a very small part of all the votes. He did not win any electoral votes. He came in eighth place overall.

De La Fuente has also gone to court to make it easier for candidates to get on the ballot. He won some cases that helped change election rules.

Running for Senator in 2016

On June 20, 2016, De La Fuente paid a fee to run for U.S. Senator from Florida. He wanted to get the Democratic nomination. He was one of five candidates. He came in fourth place and lost the election.

Running for Mayor in 2017

A picture from Rocky De La Fuente's campaign for mayor.

De La Fuente tried to get the Republican nomination for Mayor of New York City in 2017. He said that his own surveys showed he could win. However, there was a problem because he did not live in New York City. City law says candidates must live in the city.

He said he tried to buy an apartment but was turned down. He thought this was because he was Hispanic. He even considered taking this to federal court. He debated other candidates for mayor. Later, he did not have enough valid signatures to be on the ballot. This ended his campaign for mayor.

Running for Senator in 2018

De La Fuente ran for U.S. Senate in nine different states in 2018. He wanted to show problems with the election process. He called it "Loony Toons!" He ran as a Republican in California. He lost in the primary election. He came in ninth place out of 35 candidates. Only the top two candidates move on in California.

He also lost primary elections in Washington, Florida, Wyoming, Hawaii, Minnesota, Vermont, Delaware, and Rhode Island. Some people criticized his efforts. They said he drew enough votes in some states that he could have changed the outcome if those votes went to another candidate.

Running for President in 2020

How He Tried to Get the Nomination

In 2017, De La Fuente said he would try to get the Democratic nomination for president again in 2020. But he ended up running for the Republican nomination instead. He loaned a lot of his own money to his campaign.

He was a candidate in many Republican primary elections. These included California, Florida, and New Hampshire. He tried to get on the ballot in other states too. He withdrew from some states like Alabama and Arkansas. He stayed on the ballot in Connecticut even though the state's Republican Party asked him to leave.

He received a small number of votes in the Republican primaries. He did not win any delegates. He also filed lawsuits about election rules. He sued over a California law that asked candidates to share their tax returns. He also sued about how political parties control who appears on ballots in some states.

On April 25, 2020, De La Fuente became the first presidential candidate for the Alliance Party. Darcy Richardson was his running mate. On June 20, he also became the presidential candidate for the Reform Party.

The Main Election in 2020

Rocky De La Fuente's ballot access in 2020.

The De La Fuente/Richardson team was on the ballot in several states. They were on the ballot in Florida for the Reform Party. They were on the ballot in states like South Carolina and New Jersey for the Alliance Party. He was also on the ballot in California as the American Independent Party candidate. But in California, Kanye West was listed as his running mate, not Darcy Richardson. This was a decision made by the party without De La Fuente's input.

Running for Congress in 2020

De La Fuente ran as a Republican for a U.S. House of Representatives seat in California. His son, Ricardo, ran for the same seat as a Democrat. Neither of them lived in that district. Rocky hoped his running would help his son win. Neither of them won in the primary election.

However, his son Ricardo did win the Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat in Texas. But Ricardo lost the main election there.

Rocky De La Fuente's Family Life

Rocky De La Fuente is married to Katayoun Yazdani. They have five children. He has said he wants to create a "political dynasty." This means he wants his family members to also be involved in politics. Two of his sons have also run for office.

His son, Ricardo "Ricky" De La Fuente, has tried to win several congressional seats. He ran in California and Florida. In 2020, he ran against his father in California. He also won a primary in Texas.

Another son, Roque De La Fuente III, also ran in the Democratic presidential primaries in 2020. He ran in states like Arizona and Texas.

Rocky De La Fuente's Election Results

Images for kids

• 

  De La Fuente in January 2016

• 

  De La Fuente at the Lesser-Known Candidates Forum in 2016

• 

  Logo of the American Delta Party

• 

  Excerpt from De La Fuente's mayoral campaign material

• 

  Total electoral vote eligibility for Rocky De La Fuente in 2020

See also

In Spanish: Roque De La Fuente para niños