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Sylvia Garcia

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In thisSpanish name,the first or paternalsurnameisRodriguezand the second or maternal family name isGarcia.
Sylvia Garcia
Sylvia Garcia
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives
fromTexas's29thdistrict
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byGene Green
Member of theTexas Senate
from the6thdistrict
In office
March 11, 2013 – November 9, 2018[1]
Preceded byMario Gallegos Jr.
Succeeded byCarol Alvarado
Harris County Commissioner from Precinct 2
In office
January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2011
Preceded byJim Fontento
Succeeded byJack Morman
12th City Controller of Houston
In office
January 2, 1998 – January 1, 2003
Preceded byLloyd Kelly
Succeeded byJudy Gray Johnson
Personal details
Born
Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia

(1950-09-06)September 6, 1950(age 73)
San Diego, Texas,U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationTexas Woman's University(BA)
Texas Southern University(JD)
WebsiteHouse website

Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia[2](born September 6, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who has been serving as theU.S. representativeforTexas's 29th congressional districtsince 2019. Her district covers much of easternHouston.A member of theDemocratic Party,she previously represented the6th districtin theTexas Senate.

Early life and education[edit]

Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia was born inSan Diego, Texas,[3]and raised inPalito Blancoin west centralJim Wells County,the daughter of Luis and Antonia Rodriguez Garcia. She is the eighth of ten children.[4]Her family areMexican Americans.[5]

After graduating fromBen Bolt-Palito Blanco High School,[3]Garcia attendedTexas Woman's Universityon ascholarship.She graduated with a degree insocial workand began a career as asocial worker.She later received herJuris Doctordegree fromTexas Southern UniversityThurgood Marshall School of Lawand was licensed to practice law in Texas.[6]

Early political career[edit]

City of Houston[edit]

In the early 1980s,HoustonMayorKathryn Whitmireappointed Garcia aspresiding judgeof the Houston Municipal System.[7]She served for an unprecedented five terms under two mayors.[8]

In 1998, Garcia became Houstoncity controller.[9]

Harris County[edit]

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 forNASA,the nation's largest petrochemical complex, theHouston Ship Channeland thePort of Houston,the sixth largest port in the world.[9]

In 2010, Garcia was defeated for reelection to the Harris County Commissioner's Court byRepublicanJack Morman.[10]

Texas Senate[edit]

In 2013, Garcia defeatedState RepresentativeCarol Alvaradoin aspecial electionrunoffto replace the latestate SenatorMario 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[edit]

Elections[edit]

1992[edit]

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 Reyesand State SenatorGene Green.[15]Green won the runoff and held the seat for 26 years.

2018[edit]

Main article:2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 29

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 Escobarbecame 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[edit]

Main article:2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 29

Garcia won reelection in2020,defeating Republican Jaimy Blanco.

Tenure[edit]

On January 15, 2020, Garciawas selectedas one of sevenHouse impeachment managerswho presented the impeachment case against PresidentDonald Trumpduringhis trialbefore theUnited States Senate.[21]

Committee assignments[edit]

Caucus memberships[edit]

Electoral history[edit]

Texas's 29th congressional district Democratic primary results, 2018[26]
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
Texas's 29th congressional district, 2018[27]
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
Texas's 29th congressional district, 2020
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
Texas's 29th congressional district, 2022
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

Positions[edit]

Garcia voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the117th Congress,according to aFiveThirtyEightanalysis.[28]

LGBT rights[edit]

Garcia supports theEquality Act,a bill that would expand the federalCivil Rights Act of 1964to bandiscriminationbased onsexual orientationandgender identity.[29]She voted for it in 2019.[30]

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023[edit]

Garcia was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023in the House.[31]

Personal life[edit]

Garcia isRoman Catholic.[32]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Resignation letter"(PDF).texas.gov.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
  2. ^"Schedule a for ALL Line #'s".Archivedfrom the original on June 23, 2019.RetrievedJune 23,2019.
  3. ^ab"GARCIA, Sylvia - Biographical Information".Archivedfrom the original on April 3, 2019.RetrievedJune 23,2019.
  4. ^José Angel Gutiérrez.Oral History Interview with Sylvia García, 1999Archived2018-12-21 at theWayback Machine
  5. ^Guadalupe, Patricia (March 6, 2019)."Rep. Sylvia García is honored with the Edward Roybal Award for Public Service".NBC News.Archivedfrom the original on August 14, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 24,2020.
  6. ^ab"Senator Sylvia Garcia: District 6".Texas State Senate. Archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2013.
  7. ^"History in the making in this year's election".University of Houston–Clear Lake.Archivedfrom the original on April 20, 2013.RetrievedMarch 20,2013.
  8. ^"TMSL Alumni".Texas Southern University. Archived fromthe originalon June 3, 2012.
  9. ^ab"Texas State Directory".Texas State Directory.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedMarch 20,2013.
  10. ^"Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia loses seat to political newcomer".KHOU. Archived fromthe originalon December 8, 2010.
  11. ^"Sylvia Garcia Defeats Alvarado in Senate Runoff".News 92 FM. Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2013.
  12. ^"Sylvia Garcia, newest state senator, sworn in".KXAN. Archived fromthe originalon March 14, 2013.
  13. ^"Texas Senators".State of Texas.Archivedfrom the original on April 25, 2017.RetrievedApril 24,2017.
  14. ^"Texas 6th District State Senate Results: Sylvia Garcia Wins".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on January 8, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 7,2017.
  15. ^"1992 congressional primary".Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2018.RetrievedMarch 8,2018.
  16. ^Shay, Miya (March 6, 2018)."Senator Garcia expected to take Congressman Gene Green's seat in Congress".KTRK-TV.Archivedfrom the original on March 7, 2018.RetrievedMarch 8,2018.
  17. ^"2018 congressional primary".Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2018.RetrievedMarch 8,2018.
  18. ^"Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Sen. Sylvia Garcia - Full Video Release".Aronoff for Congress.RetrievedNovember 20,2018.
  19. ^"Veronica Escobar is closer to making House history in Texas".Elpasotimes.RetrievedApril 27,2018.
  20. ^"Veronica Escobar on path to make Latina, Texas history after Congress primary victory".khou. March 12, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on April 28, 2018.RetrievedApril 27,2018.
  21. ^Wilkie, Christina (January 15, 2020)."Pelosi taps Schiff, Nadler and 5 others as Trump impeachment managers".CNBC.Archivedfrom the original on January 15, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 15,2020.
  22. ^"Caucus Members".Congressional Progressive Caucus.RetrievedMarch 29,2021.
  23. ^"Caucus Members".Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus.August 19, 2021.
  24. ^"Congressional HBCU Caucus Gets Five New Members".Congressional HBCU Caucus Gets Five New Members.July 23, 2019.
  25. ^"CCA Institute".
  26. ^"2018 Primary Election Official Results".Texas Secretary of State.Archivedfrom the original on March 7, 2018.RetrievedMarch 8,2018.
  27. ^"Texas Election Results".Texas Secretary of State.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2019.RetrievedDecember 5,2018.
  28. ^Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021)."Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?".FiveThirtyEight.RetrievedNovember 15,2023.
  29. ^"House Debate on the Equality Act".C-SPAN.May 17, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on August 4, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 27,2020.
  30. ^"Final Vote Results for Roll Call 217".Archivedfrom the original on May 17, 2019.RetrievedMay 18,2019.
  31. ^Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023)."Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no".The Hill.RetrievedJune 6,2023.
  32. ^Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress(PDF)(Report).Pew Research Center.January 3, 2023.RetrievedApril 8,2023.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSylvia Garcia.
Texas Senate
Preceded by Member of theTexas Senate
from the6thdistrict
2013–2018 		Succeeded by
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
243rd 		Succeeded by
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