Overview
- Rocha stated that then‑president López Obrador directly decided his 2021 nomination despite internal Morena surveys pointing to Mazatlán ex‑mayor Luis Guillermo Benítez Torres.
- He said Ricardo Monreal conveyed the decision and recounted AMLO’s rationale that Rocha led in intention‑to‑vote even if Benítez topped most perception metrics.
- Rocha acknowledged that Benítez outperformed him in nine of ten survey rubrics but maintained that AMLO prioritized the vote‑intention indicator.
- He made the remarks in Culiacán during the presentation of Héctor Ponce’s book La Decisión at the city’s international book fair.
- Benítez later faced a 2023 request from Sinaloa prosecutors to lift his immunity and was removed by Rocha as state tourism secretary, actions he denounced as political persecution.