Garcia, Mike, 1976-

GARCIA, Mike, a Representative from California; born in Granada Hills, Los Angeles County, Calif., April 24, 1976; graduated from Saugus High School, Santa Clarita, Calif., 1994; B.S., United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., 1998; M.A., Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 1998; United States Navy, 1999-2009; United States Navy Reserve, 2009-2012; business executive; real estate developer; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of United States Representative Katie Hill, and reelected to the succeeding Congress (May 12, 2020-present).

<p>A first-generation American citizen, Congressman Mike Garcia was a highly decorated United States Naval Officer and businessman before serving in the United States House of Representatives. His superb flying performance earned him the honor of becoming one of the first F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighter pilots in the Navy. While on active duty, Congressman Garcia flew over 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the skies above Baghdad, Fallujah, and Tikrit.</p>

<p>A top graduate of Saugus High School, Congressman Garcia was nominated to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis by former U.S. Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon. Graduating with a Bachelor’s degree while majoring in Political Science with a minor in Spanish, Congressman Garcia was in the top 3% of his class. Upon graduating from Annapolis, Garcia also attended graduate school at Georgetown University, where he earned a Master’s Degree in National Securities Studies.</p>

<p>After receiving his commission, Congressman Garcia attended flight school. On the heels of 9/11, Congressman Garcia deployed as an F/A-18 strike fighter pilot aboard the USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Throughout his career, Congressman Garcia was lauded as one of the best leaders and most naturally-talented pilots in the U.S. Navy. He participated in combat operations during the first six months of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Accruing over 1,400 hours of operational flight time over nearly 20 years of active and reserve military service to our Nation, Congressman Garcia decided to separate from the Navy with an Honorable Discharge and focus on his family. He subsequently joined the Raytheon Company as an executive.</p>

<p>Michael Joseph Garcia (born April 24, 1976) is an American politician and former United States Navy pilot serving as the U.S. Representative for California's 25th congressional district since 2020. A Republican, he was first elected in a May 2020 special election and went on to win a full term in the general election.</p>

<p>Garcia was born in Santa Clarita, California and educated at Saugus High School, the United States Naval Academy and Georgetown University. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1998 to 2012; he participated in multiple combat missions during the Iraq War. Following his active duty in the navy he worked at Raytheon Intelligence & Space. In 2020, Garcia defeated Democratic nominee Christy Smith twice: in a special election held to fill the vacancy caused by Representative Katie Hill's resignation and again in the general election for a full term.</p>

<p>Garcia was born on April 24, 1976, in Santa Clarita, California, to parents who had immigrated from Mexico in 1959. In 1994, he graduated from Saugus High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in political science, graduating in the top 3% of his class, from the United States Naval Academy after being nominated by Representative Buck McKeon. In 1998, he earned a Master of Arts in national security policy studies from Georgetown University.</p>