Robert Julio Garcia (born December 2, 1977) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California’s 42nd congressional district since 2023.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 28th mayor of Long Beach, California, from 2014 to 2022.[2] He was both the city’s youngest and first elected openly LGBT mayor, as well as the first Latino to hold the office.[3] He is the second person of color to be mayor of Long Beach, after Republican Eunice Sato, a Japanese American who served from 1980 to 1982. A former member of the Long Beach City Council, he was vice mayor from 2012 to 2014.
Garcia was elected to the United States House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections. He is the first Peruvian American to be elected to Congress, and was one of the leading figures in the expulsion of George Santos.[4][5]
Endorsements
California Democratic Party, Gavin Newsome. A full list is shown on his endorsements page.
Reputation/Scandals/Successes
National & Progressive Reputation
- Top Oversight Democrat: Handpicked by senior party leadership, Garcia quickly rose to become the Ranking Member on the House Oversight Committee, giving him a massive national media platform.
- Institutional Consensus Builder: Unlike some polarizing figures, he is respected among House colleagues for being a “consensus builder” who avoids premature political maneuvers without broad party buy-in.
- Historical Representation: As the first openly LGBTQ+ immigrant elected to Congress, he holds a highly respected reputation within civil rights and progressive advocacy circles.
- Pop Culture Icon: Known for quoting The Real Housewives and championing comic books, he has earned a unique reputation for bringing a fresh, unvarnished queer pop-culture sensibility to Capitol Hill.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Main Areas of Criticism & Public Tensions
- Partisan Aggression: His unapologetic public battles—such as challenging Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) parameters and demanding the release of the “Epstein files”—have drawn intense pushback from conservative lawmakers and administration officials.
- Early Political Shifts: During his early local career in Long Beach, he was a registered Republican and founded the Long Beach Young Republicans. Though now a staunch progressive, left-wing primary rivals have occasionally used his past to question his corporate ties.
- Online Vitriol: Because of his high profile as a gay, foreign-born Latino lawmaker, he frequently faces a disproportionate amount of racist and homophobic harassment on social media platforms. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Local Legacy in Long Beach
Before entering Congress, Garcia served as the Mayor of Long Beach, California from 2014 to 2022. Nationally, his mayoral tenure is remembered as a model for public health management during the COVID-19 pandemic. Locally, his reputation is generally positive regarding climate action and raising the minimum wage, though he occasionally faced typical local scrutiny from progressive activists regarding real estate development and housing density. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Campaign contributors
Has raised over $1.9M with 42% from small contributors (< $200), 33% from large contributors, 24% from PACs and other. Details available on OpenSecrets.
