Rochelle Garza
Democratic Candidate for Comptroller of Public Accounts
Garza/Photo by campaign
Question: What is your age?
Answer: 37
Q: What is your educational background? Please list any degrees or certificates earned and any institutions attended.
A: University of Houston Law Center, J.D. Brown University, A.B. with Honors
Q: What is your occupation?
A: Attorney
Q: If you are a business owner, please list the business or businesses that you own. (If this question is not applicable, please note that below.)
A: Formerly I was a managing partner of Garza & Garza PLLC.
Q: Please list any civic boards or commissions (non-profit, government, union, political, etc.) on which you have served as a board member or equivalent.
A: -Board Member (February 2019 – Present), Jane’s Due Process
-Chair (January 2021 - July 2021), Ethics Advisory Committee, City of Brownsville, Texas
-Director (May 2018 – December 2021), Cameron County Bar Association
-Advisory (June 2019-20), Laws Relating to Immigration and Nationality Standing Committee, State Bar of Texas
-Board Member (January 2018 – January 2020), Moody Clinic
Q: Have you previously held or do you currently hold any elected office? If so, what office(s)?
A: No
Q: If your campaign has any online campaign resources where voters can learn more about you, such as social media accounts or a website, please list them below.
A: Website: https://www.RochelleGarzaforTexas.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rochellemgarza
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RochelleMGarza
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RochelleMGarza
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rochellemgarza
Q: Why did you decide to run for this office in 2022?
A: I’m running for Texas Attorney General to unseat criminally-indicted Ken Paxton, to restore integrity and transparency to the office, and to fight for Texas families.
That means tackling the issues that underpin a healthy family, like pursing accountability for the power grid failure, protecting voting rights and restoring access to abortion care, because that’s what matters to the majority of Texans – not political grandstanding.
As a mother, I want to ensure that my daughter grows up with the freedom to determine her own course in life, to marry who she loves, to decide if, when or how to become a parent, and to grow up in a clean, safe environment.
Q: If elected, what will be your top three priorities in office?
A: One of the greatest public service concerns in Texas is the loss of abortion care. Millions of Texans cannot access a basic reproductive medical service because Ken Paxton helped strip it away. As AG, I will work to restore abortion rights in Texas.
Second, Texans are concerned with their increasingly high energy bills, and as AG, I will protect consumers and prioritize holding price-gouging corporations and the powerful accountable.
Third, I will restore transparency and accountability to the AG’s office because those are the values that are critical for a functioning democracy. That means ending Ken Paxton’s culture of corruption, his pay-to-play politics, and his political stunts with our taxpayer dollars.
Q: What is an issue you believe has gone overlooked in your race and how will you address it if elected?
A: Legalizing cannabis is a billion dollar industry that can not only bring jobs, but also bring additional financial resources into our communities, and it’s an issue that has hardly been discussed in the attorney general’s race. As Attorney General, I will support legalizing the sale and use of recreational cannabis while also ending the prejudicial prosecution of Black and brown Texans on non-violent possession of marijuana charges. Through legalization, we can create over 40,000 jobs across the state, and add a revenue stream of almost $1 billion dollars that can be used to improve infrastructure and public schools across the state.
Q: Do you have any notable endorsements you would like to highlight for voters? If so, please list them here.
A: Texas Newspaper Editorial Boards
San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board (Primary, Runoff & General Election)
Fort Worth Star Telegram Editorial Board (Primary & Runoff)
Austin American-Statesman Editorial Board (Primary & Runoff)
Austin Chronicle Editorial Board (Primary & Runoff)
National Organizations
EMILY’s List
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Latino Victory Fund
She the People
Vote Mama
Save Democracy PAC
End Citizens United
State & Local Organizations
Annie’s List
Texas Organizing Project
Planned Parenthood Texas Votes
AVOW Texas
Texas College Democrats
Jolt Action
Mothers Against Greg Abbott
Texas Sierra Club
Texas Democrats with Disabilities Caucus
Texas Latina List
Mexican American Democrats of Texas
Mexican American Bar Association of Dallas
Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus
San Antonio Stonewall Democrats
Bexar County Young Democrats
Austin Young Democrats
El Paso del Norte Tejano Democrats
Q: Why are you the best candidate for voters to support for this position?
A: I’m a fifth generation Texan from the Rio Grande Valley, and the daughter of a public school teacher and a judge. I grew up in a rural community in South Texas and, like a lot of Texans, I know the challenges of living paycheck-to-paycheck, saving for a home, and struggling to find basic health care.
I’m an experienced civil rights lawyer, having fought for children, immigrants, families, and reproductive rights. I took on the federal government and won, going to court in Texas and Washington D.C. to protect a woman's right to an abortion. As Texas Attorney General, I will be a strong defender of all Texans, holding wrongdoers accountable while promoting justice for everyone – not just the privileged few.
Meanwhile, Ken Paxton has been under felony criminal indictment for almost a decade. He's charged with securities fraud for tricking people into making bad financial investments, and he’s under investigation by the FBI for corruption – allegations made by his own top aides. Top Texas Republican leaders have called him "an embarrassment" and have called on him to resign. Further, Paxton has cost taxpayers at least $500,000 for his legal defense fees.
We deserve an attorney general who will fight for us, and as AG I will defend the rights of all Texans and will be accountable to the people.