Introduction
Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia (born September 6, 1950) is an American 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 District 6 in the Texas Senate.
Early life and education
Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia was born in San Diego, Texas 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. Her family are Mexican Americans.
After graduating from Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco High School, Garcia attended Texas Woman's University on a scholarship. She graduated with a degree in social work. After completing her studies, she began her career as a social worker. She later received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
Early political career
City of Houston
In the early 1980s, Houston Mayor Kathryn Whitmire appointed Garcia as presiding judge of the Houston Municipal System. She served for an unprecedented five terms under two mayors.
In 1998, Garcia became Houston city controller.
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. 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.
Garcia was defeated for reelection to the Harris County Commissioner's Court in 2010 by Republican Jack Morman.
Texas Senate
In 2013, Garcia defeated State Representative Carol Alvarado in a special election runoff to replace the late state Senator Mario Gallegos.
Garcia took the oath of office for state senator on March 11, 2013. She served on the Criminal Justice, Intergovernmental Relations, Natural Resources and Economic Development, and Transportation committees. Garcia ran unopposed in the 2016 general election.
U. S. House of Representatives
Elections
1992 primary election
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–the real contest in this heavily Democratic, Latino-majority district– behind City Councilman Ben Reyes and State Senator Gene Green. Green went on to win the runoff, and would hold the seat for 26 years.
2018 general election
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 whoever won the primary would be an overwhelming favorite in November. Garcia got a significant boost when Green endorsed her as his successor, saying that "she's a legislator, and that's what a member of Congress should be." She easily won the primary with 63 percent of the vote. Her Republican opponent, Phillip Aronoff, used the sexual harassment and wrongful termination allegations against Garcia. Garcia handily won the November 6, 2018 general election. She and Veronica Escobar became the first Latina congresswomen from Texas, also Garcia is the first woman to represent the district. As well, Garcia is the first Hispanic to represent a significant portion of Houston in Congress.
Tenure
On January 15, 2020, Garcia was selected as one of seven impeachment managers who presented the impeachment case against President Donald Trump during his trial before the United States Senate.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Financial Services
- Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
- Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
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 | ||||
Positions
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. She voted in favor of the bill in 2019.
Accusation of misconduct
Days before the 2018 election, a video was posted on YouTube alleging that Garcia has been accused of sexual harassment and wrongful termination over events occurring in 1995. Garcia refutes the claims.