Sylvia Garcia | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's29th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Gene Green |
| Member of theTexas Senate from the6th district | |
| In office March 11, 2013 – November 9, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Mario Gallegos Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Carol Alvarado |
| Member of theHarris County Commission from Precinct 2 | |
| In office January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Fontento |
| Succeeded by | Jack Morman |
| 12thCity Controller ofHouston | |
| In office January 2, 1998 – January 1, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Lloyd Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Judy Gray Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia (1950-09-06)September 6, 1950 (age 75) San Diego, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Texas Woman's University (BA) Texas Southern University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia[1] (born September 6, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who has been serving as theU.S. representative forTexas's 29th congressional district since 2019. Her district covers much of easternHouston. A member of theDemocratic Party, she previously represented the6th district in theTexas Senate.
Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia was born inSan Diego, Texas,[2] and raised inPalito Blanco in west centralJim Wells County, the daughter of Luis and Antonia Rodriguez Garcia. She is the eighth of ten children.[3] Her family areMexican Americans.[4]
After graduating fromBen Bolt-Palito Blanco High School,[2] Garcia attendedTexas Woman's University on ascholarship. She graduated with a degree insocial work and began a career as asocial worker. She later received herJuris Doctor degree fromTexas Southern UniversityThurgood Marshall School of Law and was licensed to practice law in Texas.[5]
In the early 1980s,HoustonMayorKathryn Whitmire appointed Garcia aspresiding judge of the Houston Municipal System.[6] She served for an unprecedented five terms under two mayors.[7]
In 1998, Garcia became Houstoncity controller.[8]
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.[5] Her precinct featured a major base of operations forNASA, the nation's largest petrochemical complex, theHouston Ship Channel and thePort of Houston, the sixth largest port in the world.[8]
In 2010, Garcia was defeated for reelection to the Harris County Commissioner's Court byRepublican Jack Morman.[9]
In 2013, Garcia defeatedState RepresentativeCarol Alvarado in aspecial electionrunoff to replace the latestate SenatorMario Gallegos.[10]
Garcia took the oath of office for state senator on March 11, 2013.[11] She served on the Criminal Justice, Intergovernmental Relations, Natural Resources and Economic Development, and Transportation committees.[12] Garcia ran unopposed in the 2016 general election.[13] She resigned after winning election to the U.S. House effective November 9, 2018.[14]
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 CouncilmanBen Reyes and State SenatorGene Green.[15] Green won the runoff and held the seat for 26 years.
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 andVeronica 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.
Garcia won reelection in2020, defeating Republican Jaimy Blanco.
On January 15, 2020, Garciawas selected as one of sevenHouse impeachment managers who presented the impeachment case against PresidentDonald Trump duringhis trial before theUnited States Senate.[21]
| 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 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| 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 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sylvia Garcia (incumbent) | 71,837 | 71.4 | |
| Republican | Robert Schafranek | 28,765 | 28.5 | |
| Total votes | 100,602 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sylvia Garcia (incumbent) | 99,379 | 65.3 | ||
| Republican | Alan Garza | 52,830 | 34.7 | ||
| Total votes | 152,209 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
Garcia voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the117th Congress, according to aFiveThirtyEight analysis.[33]
Garcia supports theEquality Act, a bill that would expand the federalCivil Rights Act of 1964 to bandiscrimination based onsexual orientation andgender identity.[34] She voted for it in 2019.[35]
In 2024, Garcia publicly askedCenterPoint Energy why more than 1 million Houston residents were without power following the impact of Hurricane Beryl.[36]
Garcia sponsored the American Dream and Promise Act.[37]
Garcia isRoman Catholic.[38]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 29th congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 205th | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
