Summary
Current: US Representative of TX District 29 since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Leadership:
District: eastern portion of the Greater Houston area
Next Election:
History: Garcia attended Texas Woman’s University on a scholarship. She graduated with a degree in social work and began a career as a social worker. She later received her law degree from Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
In the early 1980s, Houston Mayor Kathryn Whitmire appointed Garcia as presiding judge of the Houston Municipal System and served five terms under two mayors. In 1998, Garcia became Houston city controller. Garcia was elected to the Harris County Commissioner’s Court in 2002 and later for two state senate terms.
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News
About
was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional district.
Sylvia is a native of Palito Blanco, a South Texas farming community. The eighth of ten children, Congresswoman Garcia saw her parents struggle to raise her and her siblings. Congresswoman Garcia’s parents taught her that with hard work and a good education she could accomplish anything. As a result of these lessons, Congresswoman Garcia dedicated herself to success at school. She earned a scholarship to Texas Woman’s University in Denton, where she graduated with a degree in social work and political science. Congresswoman Garcia then received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, working several jobs to pay for her tuition. Just as her parents believed in her future, Congresswoman Garcia believes the children of Texas can do anything. Garcia has dedicated her life to her community and to public service. As a social worker and legal aid lawyer early in her professional career, she protected our community’s most vulnerable, old and young, and ensured no one was forgotten.
Sylvia continued her public service career by serving as Director and Presiding Judge of the Houston Municipal System for an unprecedented five terms under two mayors. In 1998, she was elected City Controller, the second-highest elected official in Houston city government and its chief financial officer. She quickly earned a reputation as the taxpayers’ watchdog, fighting to protect the pocketbooks of working families and ensuring the City was transparent and accountable.
After two terms as Controller, Sylvia was elected to the Harris County Commissioner’s Court. The first Hispanic and first woman to be elected in her own right to the office, she continued her advocacy for working families and made certain Harris County took care of its most defenseless, all while making certain Harris County led the way for new jobs and economic development.
Sylvia was sworn into the Texas State Senate on March 11, 2013, representing Senate District 6. She became the seventh woman and the third Hispanic woman to serve in the upper chambers after winning a special runoff election for the seat of the late Senator Mario Gallegos.
In 2018, Sylvia decided to take her fight to Washington. She ran to represent her community, country, and family in Congress. On Jan 3, 2019, she was sworn in to represent Texas Congressional District 29. She became the first Hispanic member of the Houston Congressional Delegation and one of the first two Latinas to represent the State of Texas in the U.S. Congress.
Sylvia serves on the House Judiciary and House Financial Services Committees. During her first year in Congress, she played a critical role in the impeachment investigation against President Donald Trump. On January 15, 2020, she was selected as one of seven impeachment managers tasked with making the case to the American people and the Senate for the removal of Donald Trump as President of the United States. She is the first Hispanic and one of the first three women to ever serve as an impeachment manager in a presidential impeachment trial.
Personal
Full Name: Sylvia R. Garcia
Gender: Female
Family: Single
Birth Date: 09/06/1950
Birth Place: San Diego, TX
Home City: Houston, TX
Religion: Roman Catholic
Source: Vote Smart
Education
JD, Texas Southern University, 1975-1978
BA, Social Work/Government, Texas Woman’s University, 1968-1972
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, District 29, 2019-present
Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Texas, District 29, 2024
Senator, Texas State Senate, District 6, 2013-2018
Commissioner, Harris County Board of Commissioners, 2003-2010
Controller, City of Houston, Texas, 1998-2003
Professional Experience
Former Director/Presiding Judge, Houston Municipal System
Offices
Washington, DC Office
1620 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-1688
Houston Office
11811 East Freeway, Suite 430
Houston, TX 77029
(832) 325-3150
Contact
Email: Government
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Finances
Source: Open Secrets
Committees
Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government
TASK FORCES AND CAUCUSES
Rep. Sylvia Garcia is also a member of the following caucuses:
- Whip – Congressional Hispanic Caucus
- Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Co-Chair – Congressional Caucus on Homelessness
- Equality Caucus
- Vice Chair of the Poverty Taskforce
- Congressional Diabetes Caucus
- Congressional Mental Health Caucus
- Congressional Social Work Caucus
- Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
- Democratic Women’s Caucus
- Bipartisan Women’s Caucus
- Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges
- Adoption Caucus
- National Service Caucus
- Get the Lead Out Caucus
- Abraham Accords Caucus
- Central American Caucus
- Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence
- Oil and Gas Caucus
- TRIO Caucus
- Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus
- Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force
New Legislation
Learn more about legislation sponsored and co-sponsored by Congresswoman Garcia
Issues
Source: Government page
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia has heard her constituents’ calls for gun safety and is committed to fighting the gun violence epidemic that plagues our nation.
Congresswoman Garcia is a strong supporter of fair immigration laws and believes that Congress should work towards immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship and keeping families togeth
UPDATE: DECEMBER 9TH, 2020
With more than 68.4 million cases worldwide and 15.17 million cases in the United States, Congresswoman Garcia continues to work closely with f
As one of the first Latina women to represent Texas in Congress, Representative Sylvia R.
Trade is a major driver of the Texas economy and that is why Congresswoman Garcia supported the USMCA.
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
District
Source: Wikipedia
Texas’s 29th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers the eastern portion of the Greater Houston area in the state of Texas. The current Representative from the 29th district is Democrat Sylvia Garcia.
The Texas State Legislature established the district as a majority-Hispanic or Latino district. Democrat Gene Green, a non-Hispanic white, won the first election for the district in 1992 and held it for 18 terms.[5] In November 2017, Green announced that he would retire from Congress and would not run for re-election in 2018. Garcia won the election to succeed him.
Wikipedia
Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia[2] (born September 6, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who has been serving as the U.S. representative for Texas’s 29th congressional district since 2019. Her district covers much of eastern Houston. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 6th district in the Texas Senate.
Early life and education
Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia was born in San Diego, Texas,[3] and raised in Palito Blanco in west central Jim Wells County, the daughter of Luis and Antonia Rodriguez Garcia. She is the eighth of ten children.[4] Her family are Mexican Americans.[5]
After graduating from Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco High School,[3] Garcia attended Texas Woman’s University on a scholarship. She graduated with a degree in social work and began a career as a social worker. She later received her Juris Doctor degree from Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law and was licensed to practice law in Texas.[6]
Early political career
City of Houston
In the early 1980s, Houston Mayor Kathryn Whitmire appointed Garcia as presiding judge of the Houston Municipal System.[7] She served for an unprecedented five terms under two mayors.[8]
In 1998, Garcia became Houston city controller.[9]
Harris County
Garcia was elected to the Harris County Commissioner’s Court in 2002. She was the first woman and first Latina elected to that post in her own right.[6] Her precinct featured a major base of operations for NASA, the nation’s largest petrochemical complex, the Houston Ship Channel and the Port of Houston, the sixth largest port in the world.[9]
In 2010, Garcia was defeated for reelection to the Harris County Commissioner’s Court by Republican Jack Morman.[10]
Texas Senate
In 2013, Garcia defeated State Representative Carol Alvarado in a special election runoff to replace the late state Senator Mario Gallegos.[11]
Garcia took the oath of office for state senator on March 11, 2013.[12] She served on the Criminal Justice, Intergovernmental Relations, Natural Resources and Economic Development, and Transportation committees.[13] Garcia ran unopposed in the 2016 general election.[14]
U. S. House of Representatives
Elections
1992
While still serving as a municipal judge, Garcia ran in the Democratic primary for the newly created 29th congressional seat in 1992. She finished third in the five-way primary behind City Councilman Ben Reyes and State Senator Gene Green.[15] Green won the runoff and held the seat for 26 years.
2018
Green announced his retirement in November 2017, and Garcia—who by then held the state senate seat Green once held—entered a crowded seven-way Democratic primary. The district was still a Democratic stronghold, and it was taken for granted that whoever won the primary would be overwhelmingly favored in November. Garcia got a significant boost when Green endorsed her, saying, “she’s a legislator, and that’s what a member of Congress should be.”[16] She won the primary with 63% of the vote.[17] Her Republican opponent, Phillip Aronoff, used sexual harassment and wrongful termination allegations against Garcia.[18] Garcia handily won the November 6 general election. She and Veronica Escobar became the first Latina congresswomen from Texas, and Garcia is the first woman to represent the district.[19][20] Garcia is also the first Hispanic to represent a significant portion of Houston in Congress.
2020
Garcia won reelection in 2020, defeating Republican Jaimy Blanco.
Tenure
On January 15, 2020, Garcia was selected as one of seven House impeachment managers who presented the impeachment case against President Donald Trump during his trial before the United States Senate.[21]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus
- Congressional Equality Caucus
- Congressional Homelessness Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus[22]
- Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus[23]
- Congressional Mental Health Caucus
- Congressional Social Work Caucus
- Congressional Diabetes Caucus
- Adoption Caucus
- Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus[24]
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption[25]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sylvia Garcia | 11,659 | 63.2 | |
| Democratic | Tahir Javed | 3,817 | 20.7 | |
| Democratic | Roel Garcia | 1,217 | 6.6 | |
| Democratic | Hector Morales | 562 | 3.0 | |
| Democratic | Augustine H. Reyes | 524 | 2.8 | |
| Democratic | Dominique Michelle Garcia | 472 | 2.6 | |
| Democratic | Pedro Valencia | 192 | 1.1 | |
| Total votes | 18,443 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sylvia Garcia | 88,188 | 75.1 | |
| Republican | Phillip Aronoff | 28,098 | 23.9 | |
| Libertarian | Cullen Burns | 1,199 | 1.0 | |
| Independent | Johnathan Garza (write-in) | 9 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 117,494 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sylvia Garcia (incumbent) | 111,305 | 71.1 | |
| Republican | Jaimy Blanco | 42,840 | 27.4 | |
| Libertarian | Phil Kurtz | 2,328 | 1.5 | |
| Total votes | 156,473 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sylvia Garcia (incumbent) | 71,837 | 71.4 | |
| Republican | Robert Schafranek | 28,765 | 28.5 | |
| Total votes | 100,602 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Positions
Garcia voted with President Joe Biden’s stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[28]
LGBT rights
Garcia supports the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.[29] She voted for it in 2019.[30]
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
Garcia was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[31]
Personal life
Garcia is Roman Catholic.[32]
See also
- List of Hispanic and Latino American jurists
- List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
References
- ^ “Resignation letter” (PDF). texas.gov. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ “Schedule a for ALL Line #’s”. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
- ^ a b “GARCIA, Sylvia – Biographical Information”. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
- ^ José Angel Gutiérrez. Oral History Interview with Sylvia García, 1999 Archived 2018-12-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Guadalupe, Patricia (March 6, 2019). “Rep. Sylvia García is honored with the Edward Roybal Award for Public Service”. NBC News. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ a b “Senator Sylvia Garcia: District 6”. Texas State Senate. Archived from the original on March 9, 2013.
- ^ “History in the making in this year’s election”. University of Houston–Clear Lake. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
- ^ “TMSL Alumni”. Texas Southern University. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012.
- ^ a b “Texas State Directory”. Texas State Directory. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
- ^ “Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia loses seat to political newcomer”. KHOU. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010.
- ^ “Sylvia Garcia Defeats Alvarado in Senate Runoff”. News 92 FM. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013.
- ^ “Sylvia Garcia, newest state senator, sworn in”. KXAN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013.
- ^ “Texas Senators”. State of Texas. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ^ “Texas 6th District State Senate Results: Sylvia Garcia Wins”. The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- ^ “1992 congressional primary”. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ Shay, Miya (March 6, 2018). “Senator Garcia expected to take Congressman Gene Green’s seat in Congress”. KTRK-TV. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ “2018 congressional primary”. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ “Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Sen. Sylvia Garcia – Full Video Release”. Aronoff for Congress. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ “Veronica Escobar is closer to making House history in Texas”. Elpasotimes.com. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ “Veronica Escobar on path to make Latina, Texas history after Congress primary victory”. khou.com. March 12, 2018. Archived from the original on April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ Wilkie, Christina (January 15, 2020). “Pelosi taps Schiff, Nadler and 5 others as Trump impeachment managers”. CNBC. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
- ^ “Caucus Members”. Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ “Caucus Members”. Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus. August 19, 2021.
- ^ “Congressional HBCU Caucus Gets Five New Members”. Congressional HBCU Caucus Gets Five New Members. July 23, 2019.
- ^ “CCA Institute”.
- ^ “2018 Primary Election Official Results”. Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ “Texas Election Results”. Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). “Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?”. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ “House Debate on the Equality Act”. C-SPAN. May 17, 2019. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- ^ “Final Vote Results for Roll Call 217”. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). “Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no”. The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress (PDF) (Report). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
External links
- Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia official U.S. House website
- Sylvia Garcia for Congress campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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