Franklin Garcia is the former U.S. (Shadow) Representative for the District of Columbia. He is the former President and founder of the DC Latino Caucus, and current President of the DC Latino Leadership Council. He has held key positions in the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, former DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, Dominican President Danilo Medina, and other politicians. He has been advocating for the admission of Washington DC as the 51st state for some time. He is an active member of the DC Democratic State Committee with a focus of increasing Latino presence in local city government and local elected office. In an effort to help improve the lives of residents of Washington DC, he has served on a number of boards and commissions.
Franklin came to live in Washington, DC with his parents and sister at the age of 10. He holds an undergraduate degree in Finance from the George Washington University and a Master of Arts degree in Financial Economics for Public Policy from the American University. He is the founder of the award winning TV shows DC Statehood Today and the DCiReporter, and currently produces the show ReporteroiRD, targeted to the Spanish speaking community. He writes for a local newspaper, El Ojo Latino, and was a blogger with the Huffington Post and the Examiner, and is an active member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Franklin is a new father and lives in the Woodridge neighborhood of Ward 5.