U.S. House, Texas 29th Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Texas's 29th Congressional District?
Sylvia Garcia has the strongest record in Texas's 29th Congressional District. Sylvia Garcia scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Sylvia Garcia's highest marks are relevant experience and courage. Martha Fierro (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Martha Fierro
On the ballot as MARTHA FIERRO
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Sylvia Garcia
On the ballot as SYLVIA GARCIA
64 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 63
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Martha Fierro
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Sylvia Garcia
- On the record2025-07-17
Voted Nay on final passage of the GENIUS Act, S. 1582, on July 17, 2025, when Democratic Leader Jeffries, Whip Clark and Caucus Chair Aguilar voted Yea; it passed.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025
- On the record2021-01-07
Voted Nay on both House objections to state electors, for Arizona and Pennsylvania, on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
- On the record2020-01-15
Named by Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Jan. 15, 2020 as one of seven House managers presenting the impeachment case against President Donald Trump in the Senate trial, which ended in acquittal.
Sources: Texas Tribune, Jan. 15, 2020, Ballotpedia, Sylvia Garcia
- Credit2026-07-11
Sponsored H.R. 8877 and H.R. 8878, on HUD-assisted housing self-sufficiency and local homelessness solutions; both were incorporated into the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, enacted July 11, 2026.
Sources: GovTrack, H.R. 8877 (119th Congress), GovTrack, H.R. 8878 (119th Congress)
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Martha Fierro. Fierro for Congress has filed its FEC reports through June 30, 2026, reporting no receipts. No FEC administrative fine or Texas Ethics Commission order found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Sylvia Garcia. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed May 11, 2026. No periodic transaction reports, House Ethics Committee matter, Office of Congressional Conduct referral or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075794, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Martha Fierro. No public record found.
Sylvia Garcia. Voted against her party's leaders, who were united, on the GENIUS Act in July 2025, on tabling an impeachment resolution in June 2025 and on a June 2026 Lebanon war powers resolution.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025, GENIUS Act, House Clerk Roll Call 175, 2025, motion to table H.Res. 537, House Clerk Roll Call 201, 2026, H.Con.Res. 84
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Martha Fierro. No public record found.
Sylvia Garcia. Took part in a Jan. 31, 2026 candidate forum for the redrawn 29th District at a church in Acres Homes. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Martha Fierro. No public record found.
Sylvia Garcia. Presiding judge of the Houston municipal courts, Houston city controller, Harris County commissioner, state senator from 2013 and U.S. representative since 2019. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Sylvia Garcia
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Martha Fierro. No public record found.
Sylvia Garcia. Voted Nay on both objections to state electors on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021 (Roll Calls 10 and 11) and is not on the Texas v. Pennsylvania House amicus brief. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Martha Fierro. Has worked in health care at the Texas Medical Center since age 19 and directs Texas Rotunda Prayer and Worship, which her campaign says partners with over 200 churches and ministries. Has not held public office.
Source: Campaign site, Meet Martha
Sylvia Garcia. In the U.S. House since January 2019, now seeking a fifth term; Texas Senate from 2013; earlier Houston city controller for two terms and Harris County commissioner.
Sources: GovTrack, Sylvia Garcia, Office site, About
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Martha Fierro. Publishes positions on health care costs, school choice, federal spending and energy, and border security in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, home page
Sylvia Garcia. Vice ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee and a member of the Committee on Ethics and two Financial Services subcommittees. Two housing bills she sponsored were enacted in 2026.
Sources: Office site, About, Office site, Committees and Caucuses
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Martha Fierro. Publishes plain-language issue statements on her campaign site. Did not answer Community Impact's 2026 questionnaire by press time and has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Community Impact, Q&A for Congressional District 29, Ballotpedia, Martha Fierro
Sylvia Garcia. Answered Community Impact's 2026 candidate questionnaire, offers an e-newsletter, publishes issue pages and spoke at a 2026 candidate forum. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Community Impact, Q&A for Congressional District 29, Office site, home page, Houston Public Media, Feb. 16, 2026, Ballotpedia, Sylvia Garcia
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Martha Fierro. Describes herself as a Houstonian raised in Texas; the district lies in Harris County. Her committee reported no itemized contributions through June 30, 2026, so no in-state share exists.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Community Impact, Q&A for Congressional District 29
Sylvia Garcia. Has held Houston and Harris County offices since the 1980s, including city controller from 1998. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 90 percent of itemized individual contributions from Texas.
Sources: Office site, About, Houston Public Media, March 4, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Martha Fierro. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Sylvia Garcia. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Martha Fierro. No public record found.
Sylvia Garcia. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.354 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.530, meets expectations. Her H.R. 8877 and H.R. 8878 housing bills were enacted in 2026 through the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 8877 (119th Congress), GovTrack, Sylvia Garcia
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Martha Fierro. No public record found.
Sylvia Garcia. Missed 80 of 3,869 roll call votes, 2.1 percent, from January 2019 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Martha Fierro. No public record found.
Sylvia Garcia. Runs a Houston district office and offers help with federal agencies. Her office site reports 53,095 messages and services handled.
Sources: Office site, Offices, Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Martha Fierro. No public record found.
Sylvia Garcia. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.25519 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 381 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Martha Fierro. No public record found.
Sylvia Garcia. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Texas's 29th Congressional District?
Sylvia Garcia has the strongest record in Texas's 29th Congressional District. Sylvia Garcia scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Sylvia Garcia's highest marks are relevant experience and courage. Martha Fierro (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Texas's 29th Congressional District in 2026?
MARTHA FIERRO (Republican), SYLVIA GARCIA (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Martha Fierro a good candidate for Congress?
Martha Fierro has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Sylvia Garcia a good candidate for Congress?
Sylvia Garcia scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Texas race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Texas 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.