When California Rep.-elect Robert Garcia is sworn into office, he’ll do so on not only a signed copy of the U.S. Constitution but also on a vintage Superman comic book from 1939.
The Long Beach Democrat has been a vocal comic book fan and after he won his election in November tweeted he was excited to be able to read rare copies of comics.
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“OK y’all I’m freaking out. This is the Congressional members reading room in the Library of Congress. I can pull any comic book from what is the largest public comic collection in the country and read them here. Let’s go!” he tweeted in November.
Ok y’all I’m freaking out. This is the Congressional members reading room in the Library of Congress. I can pull any comic book from what is the largest public comic collection in the country and read them here. Let’s go! pic.twitter.com/SyIrCvHkfT
— Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) November 14, 2022
After it was confirmed by DC Comics in 2021 that the new Superman was bisexual, Garcia, who is openly gay, released a statement saying he related to the superhero.
Garcia, the son of immigrants from Peru and former mayor of Long Beach, tweeted Tuesday, “Will be proudly sworn-in to Congress on the US Constitution. Underneath the Constitution will be three items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who I lost to Covid, my citizenship certificate, and an original Superman #1 from the Library Of Congress.”
Will be proudly sworn-in to Congress on the U.S. Constitution. Underneath the Constitution will be 3 items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who I lost to covid, my citizenship certificate & an original Superman #1 from the @librarycongress. 🇺🇸😊 pic.twitter.com/YGW43OLsIp
— Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) January 3, 2023
Garcia came to the United States when he was 5 years old.
His spokeswoman, Sara Guerrero, said the congressman-elect “learned to read and write in English by reading Superman comics, so it’s especially exciting he was able to borrow this rare copy from the kind folks at the Library of Congress.”
The Library of Congress offers up historic volumes that lawmakers may use during their swearing-in ceremony.
Garcia was elected mayor of Long Beach in 2014, a position he held until last year. He was the first LGBT mayor in the city’s history and will also be the first LGBT immigrant to serve in Congress.
He was supposed to be sworn in on Tuesday, but those plans were put on hold after the House of Representatives failed to elect a speaker. The election was at the top of an itinerary of the first day of Congress, followed by a speech by the speaker-elect and the swearing-in of members.
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However, Republicans, who have a majority in the House, have failed to elect a leader after six rounds of voting.
