After graduating from law school, Garbarino worked at his family law firm in Sayville. His family also owns numerous small businesses in communities from Bay Shore to Patchogue.[7]
New York State Assembly
In 2012, Phil Boyle vacated his New York Assembly seat to run for the New York Senate. The New York Republican Party nominated Garbarino to replace him, and he was elected with 56% of the vote.[8] He was reelected three times, in 2014, 2016, and 2018.[9] Garbarino was a member of the New York Conference of Italian-American State Legislators as an assemblyman.[10]
Following the announcement that 14-term incumbent Representative Peter T. King would not run for reelection in 2020, Garbarino announced his candidacy for Congress in New York's 2nd congressional district. He ran in the June 23 Republican Party primary, and was endorsed by King, as well as the Nassau County and Suffolk County Republican Parties.[15] He defeated Assemblyman Mike LiPetri, 65% to 35%.[16]
Garbarino won the Republican primary with 53.7% of the vote against primary challengers Robert Cornicelli and Mike Rakebrandt. In a rematch against 2020 Democratic nominee Jackie Gordon, Garbarino again defeated Gordon, 60.7% to 39.3%.
On January 6, 2021, Garbarino did not object to the Electoral College results, saying:
The role of Congress is not to overturn the election or to take actions that silence voters. The Constitution is clear, the votes must be counted and certified by the states and Congress has the constitutional obligation to accept those electors and certify each states’ elections. All 50 states have certified their elections and the majority of electors have cast their votes for President-Elect Joe Biden. While I join many Long Islanders in wishing the results were different, Congress does not have the constitutional authority to overturn the election.[21]
On May 19, 2021, Garbarino was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the January 6, 2021 commission meant to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol.[24] On November 5, 2021, Garbarino was one of 13 House Republicans who voted with a majority of Democrats in favor of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.[25] Trump excoriated House Republicans who voted for the bill.[26]
In October 2023, Garbarino was one of 18 Republicans who voted against Jim Jordan's nomination for Speaker of the House all three times.
LGBT rights
In 2021, Garbarino co-sponsored the Fairness for All Act, the Republican alternative to the Equality Act.[27] The bill would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and protect the free exercise of religion.
On July 19, 2022, Garbarino and 46 other Republican representatives voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.[28]
