Incoming Democratic congressman says he'll be sworn in on a first-edition Superman comic, underneath the US Constitution
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- An incoming Democratic lawmaker says he'll be sworn in on a first-edition Superman comic.
- Robert Garcia said he'd also use his citizenship certificate and a photo of his late parents, under the Constitution.
- Garcia is an avid comic books fan, frequently tweeting about his preference for DC over Marvel.
An incoming Democratic Congressman tweeted on Tuesday that he plans to be sworn in on the first Superman comic, tucked underneath the US Constitution.
While the Republican Party wrangles over the question of who should become Speaker of the House, lawmakers-to-be are waiting on the sidelines for the chance to be sworn in and for the new session of Congress to begin.
Congressman-elect Robert Garcia, of California's 42nd District, tweeted an image of items he plans to be sworn in on.
He wrote: "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 Library of Congress."
—Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) January 3, 2023
Garcia, the former mayor of Long Beach, announced the deaths of his mother and stepfather to Covid within just weeks of each other in the summer of 2020, as NBC News reported at the time.
He has also tweeted frequently in support of a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, citing his own experience of becoming a citizen.
"Becoming an American is the best thing that's ever happened to me, the best thing to happen to my family, and it gave me a chance to really be part of this country," he said in a speech on Citizenship Day in 2021.
And he is just as vocal about another passion: comic books — specifically DC comics.
"I plan to be the #1 comic book nerd in Congress!" he tweeted from San Diego Comic Con in July last year.
A few months later he wrote that he was "freaking out" at the prospect of having access to the Library of Congress' pristine comic book collection.
—Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) November 14, 2022
He's also joked that he'd say: "I like Marvel more than DC" if he ever had to surreptitiously signal that he'd been kidnapped.
Lawmakers taking the oath of office do not have to swear on any particular object, but many do so, with most choosing the Bible.
Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar were photographed with their hands on a Quran during their swearing-in ceremony, while Sen. Jon Ossoff was sworn in on a historic Hebrew scripture, according to The Times of Israel.
Many lawmakers choose editions of their preferred scriptures that mean a lot to them, such as President Joe Biden, who was sworn into the presidency on a 19th-century bible that has been in his family for centuries, CNN reported.
Being sworn in on a comic book would not be Garcia's only significant first.
Prior to running for national office, Garcia was the first openly gay lawmaker to become Long Beach's mayor, and was also the youngest person and first Latino to take the office, according to NBC Los Angeles.
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