Michael Joseph Garcia (born April 24, 1976) is an American politician and former

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

pilot serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

California's 27th congressional district California's 27th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is currently represented by . It comprises parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and covers much of the San Gabriel ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he was first elected in a May 2020 special election and went on to win a full term in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. Garcia was born in

Granada Hills, California Granada Hills is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The community has a sports program and a range of city recreation centers. The neighborhood has fourteen public and ten private schools. His ...

, and educated at Saugus High School, the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

, and

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. He served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

from 1998 to 2012, participating in multiple combat missions during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. Following his active duty in the Navy he worked at

Raytheon Intelligence & Space Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RIS) is one of the four business segments of U.S. defense and aerospace conglomerate Raytheon Technologies. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, RIS has a total employment of 39,000 and 2019 sales of US$15 billion ...

. Garcia has faced and defeated Democratic nominee Christy Smith in all three of his successful elections: the 2020 special election held to fill the vacancy caused by Representative Katie Hill's resignation; the 2020 general election, when he won his first full term; and the 2022 general election, when he won his second term. Due to

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

, Garcia represents the new 27th district in the

118th United States Congress The 118th United States Congress is the next meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It is scheduled to meet in Washington ...

Early life and education

Mike Garcia was born on April 24, 1976, in

, a suburb of Los Angeles, to parents who had immigrated from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in 1959. In 1994, he graduated from Saugus High School and earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in political science, graduating in the top 3% of his class, from the

after being nominated by Representative Buck McKeon. In 1998, he earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in national security policy studies from

Military and civilian career

Garcia joined the

in May 1998, and was sent to flight school at

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

. He was deployed as an

F/A-18 The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part ...

aviator from the USS ''Nimitz''. During the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

, he participated in over 30 combat missions. From 2009 to 2018, Garcia worked as a business development manager at

, one of four business segments of

Raytheon Technologies Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitaliza ...

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2020 special

In the 2018 election in

California's 25th congressional district California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...

, Democrat Katie Hill defeated incumbent Representative Steve Knight. In April 2019, Garcia announced that he would challenge Hill in the 2020 election. On November 3, 2019, Hill resigned from Congress due to a scandal involving her relationship with a campaign staffer. Governor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...

ordered a special election to fill the vacancy caused by Hill's resignation. Garcia placed second in the

nonpartisan blanket primary A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office run against each other at once, regardless of the political party. Partisan elections are, on the other hand, segregated by political party. ...

on March 3, 2020, ahead of former Representative Steve Knight and behind Christy Smith, a member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

. Garcia was endorsed by the

Club for Growth The Club for Growth is a 501(c)(4) conservative organization active in the United States, with an agenda focused on cutting taxes and other economic policy issues. Club for Growth's largest funders are the billionaires Jeff Yass and Richard U ...

and the

Susan B. Anthony List Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (formerly Susan B. Anthony List) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that seeks to reduce and ultimately end abortion in the U.S. by supporting anti-abortion politicians, primarily women, through its SBA List ...

. Garcia campaigned on strengthening the United States

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and cutting taxes to improve the

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

, specifically in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He also campaigned against the Democratic leadership in the California state government. His platform included promises to "defeat socialism" and "build the wall." Garcia said he was in favor of "securing and better surveillance of our borders." On May 12, 2020, Garcia defeated Smith in the special election in an upset. She officially conceded the race the next day, but affirmed her intention to run against Garcia in the November general election for a full term in Congress. Garcia's victory marked the first time since 1998 that a Republican flipped a California congressional district held by a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

; in 1998,

Doug Ose Douglas Arlo Ose (born June 27, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 3rd congressional district from 1999 to 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. On March 16, 2021, Ose a ...

won in the 3rd congressional district. He is also the first Hispanic Republican representative to serve from California since

Romualdo Pacheco José Antonio Romualdo Pacheco (October 31, 1831January 23, 1899) was a Californio statesman and diplomat. A Republican, he is best known as the only Hispanic person to serve as Governor of California since the American Conquest of California, ...

left office in 1883, after representing the 4th congressional district.

2020 general

In the November general election, Garcia faced Smith in a rematch. In August, Garcia was listed as one of the 10 most vulnerable House members by ''

Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of c ...

''. Votes were still being counted a week after the election, though Smith held a lead. Smith conceded to Garcia on November 30, 2020. Garcia raised $3 million more than Smith. Garcia won by only 333 votes.

2022

Garcia ran for reelection in what is now

. He defeated Christy Smith again in the November 8, 2022, general election. Garcia's win resulted in the Republican Party winning its 218th seat in the

2022 United States House of Representatives elections The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 8, 2022, as part of the 2022 United States elections during incumbent president Joe Biden's term. The elections were held to elect representatives from all 435 U ...

, giving Republicans the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

majority in the

Tenure

Garcia was sworn into office on May 19, 2020. In January 2021, he voted to object to Congress's certification of the states' Electoral College votes.

Committee assignments

Committee on Appropriations The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Commi ...

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

* Committee on Intelligence

Caucus memberships

Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana. Although the prim ...

Political positions

Certification of the 2020 election

On January 4, 2021, Garcia announced his intention to reject some states' electoral votes based on unsubstantiated claims of fraud. On January 6, he objected to Congress's certification of the states' Electoral College votes. He later acknowledged Joe Biden's win and said the "election process has run its course".

Abortion

According to ''California Catholic Daily'', Garcia opposes abortion and does not support federal funding of

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

. After winning the special election, he signed a petition to bring the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to the House floor for a vote. Garcia has cosponsored proposed legislation that would virtually ban abortion and some forms of birth control.

COVID-19 pandemic

During a virtual debate with Smith before the special election, Garcia said that financial aid to small businesses should be administered through cities and local chambers of commerce. Garcia has called on the

United States House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis The United States House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis is a bipartisan United States House of Representatives select subcommittee that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced will be created to provide congressional oversight of the Tr ...

to investigate Governor

's policy on nursing homes during the pandemic. Along with other Republican representatives, Garcia claimed that Newsom had ignored guidance provided by the

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer M ...

. Garcia voted against the

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to sp ...

Defense

According to Garcia's campaign website, he supports passing a $750 billion budget for the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

Impeachment of Donald Trump

Garcia voted against impeachment in Donald Trump's second impeachment after the 2021 attack on the United States Capitol.

Guns

Garcia has an A rating from the

Gun Owners of America Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a gun rights organization in the United States. It makes efforts to differentiate itself from the larger National Rifle Association (NRA) and has publicly criticized the NRA on multiple occasions for what it consi ...

. He voted against the

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a landmark United States federal law passed during the 117th United States Congress. It implemented several changes to the mental health system, school safety programs, and gun safety laws. Gun safety laws ...

Health care

Garcia has advocated for repealing the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...

. During his campaign, he said he "was not a big fan of

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

Immigration

Garcia supports the construction of a wall along the

Mexico–United States border The Mexico–United States border ( es, frontera Estados Unidos–México) is an international border separating Mexico and the United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traver ...

. He is in favor of increasing surveillance at the border. Garcia has voiced opposition against legalizing the

DREAM Act The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act, is a United States legislative proposal to grant temporary conditional residency, with the right to work, to illegal immigrants who entered the United States a ...

Iraq

In June 2021, Garcia was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.

LGBT rights

In 2021, Garcia voted against the Equality Act, calling it "contrary to American ideals". On July 19, 2022, Garcia and 46 other Republican U.S. representatives voted for the

Respect for Marriage Act The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal gover ...

, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.

Term limits

Garcia supports congressional term limits.

Tax policy

In January 2021, Garcia introduced the State and Local Tax (SALT) Fairness Act, a bill to eliminate the SALT deduction cap created in the

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 The Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018, , is a congressional revenue act of the United States originally introduced in Congress as the Tax Cuts and Jobs A ...

. Compared to residents of other states, Californians are disproportionately impacted by the SALT deduction cap.

Antitrust bill

In 2022, Garcia was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.

Personal life

Garcia's wife Rebecca is an interior designer. They have two sons. Garcia and his family live in

Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-largest city by population in Los Angeles County, the 17th ...

Electoral history

References

External links

*
Congressman Mike Garcia
official U.S. House website
Campaign website
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Mike 1976 births 21st-century American politicians American Christians American politicians of Mexican descent American Protestants United States Navy personnel of the Iraq War Businesspeople in aviation Christians from California Georgetown University alumni Hispanic and Latino American members of the United States Congress Living people Military personnel from California People from Santa Clarita, California Raytheon Technologies people Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy officers Latino conservatism in the United States