Colby Shock

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Colby Shock completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Shock's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading-bio-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI'm Colby Shock. I'm 24 years old, I grew up in this district, and I'm running for Congress because the people on the Space Coast deserve better than what they've been getting. I was born in Wayne, Michigan, the youngest of five in a big, blended family. My dad was the center of it all. When I lost him at seven, hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects and every one of my teachers came to the funeral. That loss moved my family to Vero Beach, where my grandparents became the foundation of my life. I grew up on the Indian River Lagoon, played little league, and learned to bake in my grandmother's kitchen.\r\n<p>I started organizing at fourteen, knocking doors, marching in parades, and by seventeen was the youngest person ever seated on the Indian River County Democratic Executive Committee, believed to be the youngest in Florida. In 2019, I performed at Carnegie Hall with my high school choir. I'm a life member of VFW Auxiliary Post 4643 in Satellite Beach.\r\n</p>\nToday, I'm a full-time caregiver for my grandfather, a Vietnam-era veteran, and his partner, who has dementia. I manage their medications, drive them to appointments, and fight the VA system on their behalf. Watching the people I love get failed by the systems supposed to protect them is what put me in this race. I'm not building a political career. I'm fighting for the community that raised me.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading-key-message-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>I'm the only candidate in this race who actually grew up in this district. I was raised in Vero Beach, went to school here, was baptized here, and today I'm a full-time caregiver for my grandfather, a Vietnam-era veteran right here on the Space Coast. This district isn't a stepping stone for me. It's home. I'm running because the people here deserve a representative who knows what it actually costs to live here: the insurance bills, the grocery prices, the hours spent on the phone fighting with the VA. My opponent has been in elected office longer than I've been alive. He built a career in politics. I'm trying to build something for the community that raised me.</li><li>Healthcare in this district is broken and people are paying the price every single day. Veterans in Brevard County are driving hours for basic VA care because we still don't have a full VA hospital in Viera. Seniors are rationing medications. Families are getting crushed by medical debt they didn't ask for and can't escape. I see this firsthand; I manage my grandfather's care, I fight the VA system on his behalf, I sit on the phone with insurance companies that treat people like case numbers. I'm running to fix this: build the VA hospital, cut the red tape in Medicare and Medicaid, lower drug prices, and move this country toward a healthcare system that actually works for the people paying into it.</li><li>The Indian River Lagoon is dying. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Sewage keeps ending up in our water. And the people we send to Washington keep looking the other way. The Space and Treasure Coasts are one of the most beautiful places in this country, and we are letting be destroyed, not because we don't care, but because the people in charge don't prioritize it. Climate resilience isn't some abstract policy debate here. It's your homeowner's insurance doubling. It's your utility bill going up. It's whether your street floods when it rains. I'm running to bring federal dollars and federal accountability back to this district, fix what's broken, and protect the place we all call home.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading1-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tHealthcare, economic relief, environmental restoration, and accountability. I'm a full-time caregiver for my grandfather, a Vietnam-era vet, and his partner who has dementia. I've seen how our healthcare system fails the people who need it most. But it's not just medical bills. Families are getting squeezed on every front — groceries, utilities, insurance, rent — and nobody in Washington is in any rush to put money back in your wallets. I grew up on the Indian River Lagoon. Watching it deteriorate while elected officials do nothing is infuriating. The people of this district deserve a representative who shows up and doesn't hide behind a donor paywall. These aren't abstract policy interests. They come from living here and paying attention\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading2-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tMy mom. After my dad passed when I was seven, she held our family together on her own; We lived paycheck to paycheck, penny-pinching every dollar to keep the lights on and food on the table. She didn't have a safety net or a second income. She just figured it out, every single day, because that's what you do when people are counting on you. I learned more about resilience, sacrifice, and what it means to fight for your family from watching her stretch a grocery budget than I ever could from a textbook. That's the energy I'm bringing to Congress. The people in this district are doing the same thing she did- working harder than they should have to just to get by. They deserve someone who understands that because he lived it.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading3-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tAccessibility and honesty. If the people you represent can't reach you, you're not representing them. Too many elected officials treat constituent access like a VIP list, show up to the right fundraiser, donate enough money, and maybe you'll get a meeting. That's not public service. A representative should be reachable, should tell people the truth even when it's uncomfortable, and should prioritize the needs of the district over their own political career. I also think humility matters. You don't have to have all the answers. But you do have to be willing to listen to the people who are living with the problems you're supposed to be solving.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading4-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tConstituent service, oversight, and legislation, in that order. Your first job is making sure the people in your district can get help when they need it: a Social Security check that didn't come, a veteran stuck in VA limbo, a small business owner fighting a federal agency. Your second job is holding the executive branch accountable and making sure taxpayer dollars are being spent the way they should be. And your third job is writing and passing laws that actually improve people's lives. Too many members of Congress skip straight to the performative stuff, the cable news hits, the viral tweets, and ignore the boring, essential work that people are counting on them to do.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading5-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat legacy would you like to leave?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI want people in this district to be able to say that their representative actually gave a damn. That they showed up, told the truth, and fought for the things that mattered to the people who live here—not the people who fund campaigns from out of state. Specifically, I want to leave behind a VA hospital in Viera that veterans can actually use, a cleaner Indian River Lagoon, and a district where people feel like their government works for them. And if I can show a younger generation that you don't have to wait your turn or play the game to run for office that regular people from regular families can do this, that would mean more to me than any title.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading6-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse6-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was your very first job? How long did you have it?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading6-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse6-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tMy first job was washing dishes as a server assistant at Buffalo Wild Wings in Lexington, Kentucky. I was scrubbing wing sauce off plates and busing tables for hours on my feet. It wasn't glamorous, but it taught me what work actually feels like: the kind where your back hurts and your shoes are soaked and you're still expected to show up tomorrow and do it again. That job gave me respect for every person who works a shift, punches a clock, and comes home too tired to deal with a government that doesn't seem to care about making their life any easier. When I talk about putting money back in people's wallets, it's because I know what it's like to earn it the hard way.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading7-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse7-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat is something that has been a struggle in your life?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading7-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse7-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tLoss. I lost my dad when I was seven. In 2018, my niece died in a freak accident at just two years old. In 2020, my grandpa Shock passed. In 2021, my sister. Every time I started to get my footing, life took me out at the kneecaps again. That kind of loss doesn't make you stronger in some inspirational poster way. It just changes you. It teaches you that time is short, the people around you are everything, and nobody is promised tomorrow. I'm not running for Congress because I have some master plan for my political future. I'm running because I know what it feels like when the systems supposed to catch you don't, and I'm tired of watching Congress keep swinging the bat at people already on their knees. Time for that to stop.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading8-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse8-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading8-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse8-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe House is the closest thing to direct representation that exists in our federal government. Two-year terms mean you're constantly accountable to the people who sent you there. That's powerful, and it's also a responsibility that too many members take for granted. The House was designed to be the people's chamber; The body most responsive to what's actually happening in communities across the country. When it works the way it's supposed to, it's the most democratic institution we have. I want to be the kind of representative who treats that design seriously and never forgets who I'm there for.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading9-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse9-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse9-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading9-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse9-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe cost of living crisis and the collapse of trust in government. People can't afford healthcare, can't afford housing, can't afford groceries, and they've stopped believing that anyone in Washington is even trying to fix it. That erosion of trust is dangerous because it makes people stop participating, and when people stop participating, the only ones left at the table are the ones with money and power. On top of that, we're facing a climate and infrastructure crisis that we keep kicking down the road. Here on the Space Coast, that means a dying lagoon, crumbling water systems, and insurance costs that are pushing families out. These aren't separate problems. They're all connected by the same failure of leadership.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading10-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse10-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse10-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading10-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse10-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tYes. Compromise isn't weakness, it's how you actually get things done for people. The alternative is what we've had for years: gridlock, posturing, and nothing moving forward while real people wait for help that never comes. That doesn't mean you compromise on your values. I'm not going to negotiate away someone's healthcare or pretend the lagoon isn't dying to make a deal. But if there's a Republican who wants to fund a VA hospital in Viera and we disagree on something else, I'm going to work with them on the hospital. The people in my district don't care which party gets credit, they care whether the problem gets fixed. That's the standard I intend to hold myself to.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-427779-2026-04-06\" id=\"heading11-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse11-427779-2026-04-06\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse11-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading11-427779-2026-04-06\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse11-427779-2026-04-06\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tBarack Obama winning the 2008 presidential election. I was six years old. I remember my mom coming into my room full of joy and crying, seeing the glow of the tv in the background— this sense that something huge had just happened, even if I couldn't fully understand what it meant yet. I grew up in a family that paid attention to politics, so even as a little kid I was absorbing it. That moment planted something in me. It was the first time I understood that elections actually mattered — that who we put in charge changes what's possible. I started organizing by fourteen and was seated on my county Democratic Executive Committee by seventeen. That night in 2008 was the beginning of all of it.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nColby Shock completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Shock's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. I'm Colby Shock. I'm 24 years old, I grew up in this district, and I'm running for Congress because the people on the Space Coast deserve better than what they've been getting. I was born in Wayne, Michigan, the youngest of five in a big, blended family. My dad was the center of it all. When I lost him at seven, hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects and every one of my teachers came to the funeral. That loss moved my family to Vero Beach, where my grandparents became the foundation of my life. I grew up on the Indian River Lagoon, played little league, and learned to bake in my grandmother's kitchen. I started organizing at fourteen, knocking doors, marching in parades, and by seventeen was the youngest person ever seated on the Indian River County Democratic Executive Committee, believed to be the youngest in Florida. In 2019, I performed at Carnegie Hall with my high school choir. I'm a life member of VFW Auxiliary Post 4643 in Satellite Beach. Today, I'm a full-time caregiver for my grandfather, a Vietnam-era veteran, and his partner, who has dementia. I manage their medications, drive them to appointments, and fight the VA system on their behalf. Watching the people I love get failed by the systems supposed to protect them is what put me in this race. I'm not building a political career. I'm fighting for the community that raised me. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? I'm the only candidate in this race who actually grew up in this district. I was raised in Vero Beach, went to school here, was baptized here, and today I'm a full-time caregiver for my grandfather, a Vietnam-era veteran right here on the Space Coast. This district isn't a stepping stone for me. It's home. I'm running because the people here deserve a representative who knows what it actually costs to live here: the insurance bills, the grocery prices, the hours spent on the phone fighting with the VA. My opponent has been in elected office longer than I've been alive. He built a career in politics. I'm trying to build something for the community that raised me. Healthcare in this district is broken and people are paying the price every single day. Veterans in Brevard County are driving hours for basic VA care because we still don't have a full VA hospital in Viera. Seniors are rationing medications. Families are getting crushed by medical debt they didn't ask for and can't escape. I see this firsthand; I manage my grandfather's care, I fight the VA system on his behalf, I sit on the phone with insurance companies that treat people like case numbers. I'm running to fix this: build the VA hospital, cut the red tape in Medicare and Medicaid, lower drug prices, and move this country toward a healthcare system that actually works for the people paying into it. The Indian River Lagoon is dying. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Sewage keeps ending up in our water. And the people we send to Washington keep looking the other way. The Space and Treasure Coasts are one of the most beautiful places in this country, and we are letting be destroyed, not because we don't care, but because the people in charge don't prioritize it. Climate resilience isn't some abstract policy debate here. It's your homeowner's insurance doubling. It's your utility bill going up. It's whether your street floods when it rains. I'm running to bring federal dollars and federal accountability back to this district, fix what's broken, and protect the place we all call home. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Healthcare, economic relief, environmental restoration, and accountability. I'm a full-time caregiver for my grandfather, a Vietnam-era vet, and his partner who has dementia. I've seen how our healthcare system fails the people who need it most. But it's not just medical bills. Families are getting squeezed on every front — groceries, utilities, insurance, rent — and nobody in Washington is in any rush to put money back in your wallets. I grew up on the Indian River Lagoon. Watching it deteriorate while elected officials do nothing is infuriating. The people of this district deserve a representative who shows up and doesn't hide behind a donor paywall. These aren't abstract policy interests. They come from living here and paying attention Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why? My mom. After my dad passed when I was seven, she held our family together on her own; We lived paycheck to paycheck, penny-pinching every dollar to keep the lights on and food on the table. She didn't have a safety net or a second income. She just figured it out, every single day, because that's what you do when people are counting on you. I learned more about resilience, sacrifice, and what it means to fight for your family from watching her stretch a grocery budget than I ever could from a textbook. That's the energy I'm bringing to Congress. The people in this district are doing the same thing she did- working harder than they should have to just to get by. They deserve someone who understands that because he lived it. What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official? Accessibility and honesty. If the people you represent can't reach you, you're not representing them. Too many elected officials treat constituent access like a VIP list, show up to the right fundraiser, donate enough money, and maybe you'll get a meeting. That's not public service. A representative should be reachable, should tell people the truth even when it's uncomfortable, and should prioritize the needs of the district over their own political career. I also think humility matters. You don't have to have all the answers. But you do have to be willing to listen to the people who are living with the problems you're supposed to be solving. What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office? Constituent service, oversight, and legislation, in that order. Your first job is making sure the people in your district can get help when they need it: a Social Security check that didn't come, a veteran stuck in VA limbo, a small business owner fighting a federal agency. Your second job is holding the executive branch accountable and making sure taxpayer dollars are being spent the way they should be. And your third job is writing and passing laws that actually improve people's lives. Too many members of Congress skip straight to the performative stuff, the cable news hits, the viral tweets, and ignore the boring, essential work that people are counting on them to do. What legacy would you like to leave? I want people in this district to be able to say that their representative actually gave a damn. That they showed up, told the truth, and fought for the things that mattered to the people who live here—not the people who fund campaigns from out of state. Specifically, I want to leave behind a VA hospital in Viera that veterans can actually use, a cleaner Indian River Lagoon, and a district where people feel like their government works for them. And if I can show a younger generation that you don't have to wait your turn or play the game to run for office that regular people from regular families can do this, that would mean more to me than any title. What was your very first job? How long did you have it? My first job was washing dishes as a server assistant at Buffalo Wild Wings in Lexington, Kentucky. I was scrubbing wing sauce off plates and busing tables for hours on my feet. It wasn't glamorous, but it taught me what work actually feels like: the kind where your back hurts and your shoes are soaked and you're still expected to show up tomorrow and do it again. That job gave me respect for every person who works a shift, punches a clock, and comes home too tired to deal with a government that doesn't seem to care about making their life any easier. When I talk about putting money back in people's wallets, it's because I know what it's like to earn it the hard way. What is something that has been a struggle in your life? Loss. I lost my dad when I was seven. In 2018, my niece died in a freak accident at just two years old. In 2020, my grandpa Shock passed. In 2021, my sister. Every time I started to get my footing, life took me out at the kneecaps again. That kind of loss doesn't make you stronger in some inspirational poster way. It just changes you. It teaches you that time is short, the people around you are everything, and nobody is promised tomorrow. I'm not running for Congress because I have some master plan for my political future. I'm running because I know what it feels like when the systems supposed to catch you don't, and I'm tired of watching Congress keep swinging the bat at people already on their knees. Time for that to stop. What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution? The House is the closest thing to direct representation that exists in our federal government. Two-year terms mean you're constantly accountable to the people who sent you there. That's powerful, and it's also a responsibility that too many members take for granted. The House was designed to be the people's chamber; The body most responsive to what's actually happening in communities across the country. When it works the way it's supposed to, it's the most democratic institution we have. I want to be the kind of representative who treats that design seriously and never forgets who I'm there for. What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade? The cost of living crisis and the collapse of trust in government. People can't afford healthcare, can't afford housing, can't afford groceries, and they've stopped believing that anyone in Washington is even trying to fix it. That erosion of trust is dangerous because it makes people stop participating, and when people stop participating, the only ones left at the table are the ones with money and power. On top of that, we're facing a climate and infrastructure crisis that we keep kicking down the road. Here on the Space Coast, that means a dying lagoon, crumbling water systems, and insurance costs that are pushing families out. These aren't separate problems. They're all connected by the same failure of leadership. Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking? Yes. Compromise isn't weakness, it's how you actually get things done for people. The alternative is what we've had for years: gridlock, posturing, and nothing moving forward while real people wait for help that never comes. That doesn't mean you compromise on your values. I'm not going to negotiate away someone's healthcare or pretend the lagoon isn't dying to make a deal. But if there's a Republican who wants to fund a VA hospital in Viera and we disagree on something else, I'm going to work with them on the hospital. The people in my district don't care which party gets credit, they care whether the problem gets fixed. That's the standard I intend to hold myself to. What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? Barack Obama winning the 2008 presidential election. I was six years old. I remember my mom coming into my room full of joy and crying, seeing the glow of the tv in the background— this sense that something huge had just happened, even if I couldn't fully understand what it meant yet. I grew up in a family that paid attention to politics, so even as a little kid I was absorbing it. That moment planted something in me. It was the first time I understood that elections actually mattered — that who we put in charge changes what's possible. I started organizing by fourteen and was seated on my county Democratic Executive Committee by seventeen. That night in 2008 was the beginning of all of it.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}]