United States Representative, District 36

Ted W. Lieu has represented this Los Angeles-area district in Congress since 2015. He immigrated to the United States at age three. He grew up working in his family's gift shops in Cleveland. He served four years on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. He later retired from the Air Force Reserve as a colonel. Before Congress he served on the Torrance City Council. He also served in the California State Assembly and the state Senate. In Congress he sits on the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees. He serves as Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus. He has authored bills on artificial intelligence safety, fentanyl overdose prevention and government accountability.

His campaign site could not be reached, so his own words on why he is running again are not available here. In July 2026 he and a Republican colleague introduced a bill on artificial intelligence. It would require the most powerful AI systems to include a way to shut them down if they cause serious harm. In September 2026 he and two Democratic colleagues introduced a different bill. It would require review of pardoned people's criminal history. It would also limit their political donations to the president who pardoned them. He said pardons should not be for sale.

He promises to keep pushing for AI safety rules and government accountability measures. He says he will keep working on cybersecurity funding and school infrastructure for his district. He supports civil rights protections and continued oversight of the executive branch.

Houston Brignano is the Republican candidate for this seat, listed on the ballot as technology Executive. They have not served in elected office.

No campaign website, interview or news coverage of their reasons for running could be located, and no vote, lawsuit or other public incident is on record.

With no published platform to draw on, their promises cannot be listed here in their own words. That is a gap in what is public, not a comment on their candidacy.