Johnny Garcia, 38, is a veteran deputy with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and its current public information officer. He’s seeking the Democratic nomination in Texas’ 35th Congressional District.
Hear from the candidate
1. Please tell voters about yourself.
I was born and raised on the west side of San Antonio, supported by my hard working mother. I graduated from Memorial High School in the Edgewood Independent School District, one of the most underfunded and marginalized school districts in America.
While attending St. Philips Community College, I worked construction jobs to put myself through college before answering the call to serve. For nearly two decades, I’ve served in law enforcement as a Sheriff’s deputy here in Bexar County, dedicating myself towards keeping our community safe. I’ve been boots on the ground, rising from jail guard, to patrol, to SWAT Team, and I know first hand the challenges that residents in congressional district 35 face every single day.
I’m an old-school Democrat running to restore old-school principles: fighting to lower costs for working families, affordable healthcare, and secure pathways to higher paying jobs.
2. Briefly describe your top policy priorities.
Economy: I am committed to building an economy that works for working and middle-class families. That means ending the Trump tariffs, renewing ACA subsidies to make healthcare more affordable, investing in apprenticeships and job training programs, and supporting small business.
Law & Order: With nearly two decades in law enforcement, I know public safety requires both accountability and trust. I support giving officers the training, resources, and mental health support they need, while ensuring transparency and clear oversight. I believe in tackling crime at its roots through youth programs, mental health services, and community partnerships that create safer neighborhoods.
Education: Every child deserves an education that prepares them with the skills and critical thinking they need to succeed in life. I support fully funded public schools, investment in teachers, updated classroom resources, and affordable pathways to college, apprenticeships, and vocational training, so every student can succeed without crushing debt.
3. What should Congress be doing to rein in inflation and/or stabilize/boost the economy?
We need to end the Trump tariffs to lower costs and protect the 1 in 5 jobs in Texas that depend on trade. San Antonio has become a thriving manufacturing center, and is a critical gateway to keeping supply chains moving. Congress must pass pragmatic economic policies focused on relief for working and middle class taxpayers and promoting innovation to simultaneously lower costs and create good-paying jobs, invest in American manufacturing and get rid of tariffs that are driving up prices on everyday goods.
Additionally, expand and modernize workforce development through robust apprenticeship programs and public-private partnerships to close the skills gap and connect workers with high-demand, high-wage jobs in emerging industries. Finally, lowering the daily cost of living for middle-class families by expanding access to
affordable healthcare, child care, and housing is essential to increasing
their disposable income and ensuring economic security at the individual
and national level.
4. What should Congress be doing to reform immigration laws?
Our immigration system is broken, and frankly, both parties are to blame. It’s time to get serious lawmakers together, from both parties, as well as labor and business interests, to forge real solutions. Comprehensive immigration reform includes border security and knowing who enters our country, orderly pathways to citizenship, work visas and meeting our economic needs, funding our immigration courts and removing backlogs, and a foreign policy that reestablishes trust and cooperation with our Southern neighbors especially, while ensuring safety and economic opportunities to reduce the number of asylum seekers and economic hardship refugees. As a Sheriff Deputy, I know how to keep people safe and will take these skills to Congress.
5. At a time when the White House is asserting more control over national security and spending without Congress’ input, how would you handle disagreements over the division of power?
Congress has failed to hold this administration in check, and by failing to do so, they have weakened the very institutions that protect our liberties. Reasserting Congress’ role should start with tariffs, as regulating commerce with foreign nations starts with Congress. And we should follow by reestablishing our budgetary authority and reversing the dismantling and defunding of the Department of Education, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the FAA, and other critical agencies that have left our communities and nation less secure.
6. The past year has brought tremendous uncertainty to many Americans surrounding rising health insurance premiums and lack of access to medical care near their homes. What do you believe Congress should be doing to make health care affordable and accessible to residents in your state?
Texas, sadly, has the distinction of having the highest uninsured rate in the nation. Medicaid in Texas is only available to children, pregnant women, and the elderly, yet the Trump Administration’s legislation has added bureaucratic obstacles to deny more low-income families basic care. At the same businesses are seeing rising premiums and passing the costs down to employees.
Speaker Johnson and Congress refused to renew ACA subsidies, which will only lead to more families forced to go without health insurance. It’s time we have leadership that realizes we all benefit from a strong health care infrastructure and affordable insurance. Congress must pass legislation strengthening the Affordable Care Act, expanding Medicaid, lowering prescription drug costs, and increasing mental health services so that no one is forced to choose between their health and their financial stability.
Read more
Top races to watch in Bexar County in 2026
Meet the candidates running to represent San Antonio in for Congress
‘Old-school Democrat’: Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputy Johnny Garcia wages congressional bid
