[VT | November 9, 2026 | Philadelphia PA]
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) is running for chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) announced its support on Nov. 9. The post would extend Lieu’s record as the highest-ranking Asian American in the history of the U.S. House.
Democrats won the House majority in the Nov. 3 midterm election. Lieu announced his candidacy in a letter to colleagues on Nov. 5 and is the only candidate for the post. House Democrats will elect their leadership for the 120th Congress on Nov. 18–19.
CAPAC Backs Lieu, Citing Language Access
CAPAC Chair Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) tied the endorsement to the caucus’s growth. CAPAC will have a record 23 Asian American and Pacific Islander members in the 120th Congress.
“As CAPAC welcomes its largest class of AAPI Members in history, it is more important than ever that our nation’s diversity is reflected in its leadership and that Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities have a voice at the decision-making table,” Meng said.
Meng’s statement centered Lieu’s record on language access. It noted that materials Lieu helped translate are still widely used by congressional offices, and that 32 percent of Asian Americans and 12 percent of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have limited English proficiency. “Rep. Lieu’s presence in the top four of House Democratic Leadership ensures AANHPI communities will be heard and represented,” Meng said.
On April 30, 2026, Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), joined by Meng and Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), introduced the Language Access Board Act of 2026 (H.R. 8604). Lieu was among its original cosponsors. The bill would establish a federal board to set and monitor language-access standards across federal agencies and investigate complaints. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) is leading the Senate version.
CAPAC’s backing follows the same coalition path that carried Lieu into leadership four years ago. In 2022, CAPAC and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus endorsed his bid for caucus vice chair. He won a four-way race on the third ballot and became the first Asian American to hold the post. He was re-elected in 2024 and has now reached the two-term limit for vice chair.
A Leadership Team Moving Into the Majority
Lieu’s bid is part of a broader reshuffle as House Democrats prepare to take control of the chamber. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) launched his bid for Speaker in a Nov. 4 letter to colleagues. Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) is running for Majority Leader, Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) for Majority Whip, Lieu for Caucus Chair, and Assistant Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) for Assistant Speaker.
The caucus chair presides over Democratic Caucus meetings and manages the party’s internal agenda and member coordination. In the 120th Congress, that role will sit inside a majority that controls the House floor.
Ted Lieu: From Cleveland to House Leadership
Early Life and Service
Lieu was born in Taipei in 1969 and immigrated with his family to Cleveland at age 3. His parents started out selling gifts and jewelry at flea markets and went on to run six gift stores. He holds degrees in computer science and political science from Stanford University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Law Journal.
After clerking on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, he served four years on active duty in the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps and remained in the Air Force Reserve until 2021, retiring as a colonel.
From Torrance to Congress
Lieu was elected to the Torrance City Council in 2002, the California State Assembly in 2005 and the California State Senate in 2011. He was elected to Congress in 2014 and represents California’s 36th Congressional District, which includes Los Angeles’s South Bay and Westside, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. He serves on the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees. He was elected House Democratic Caucus vice chair in 2022 and re-elected in 2024.
On the Record With VisibleTogether
VisibleTogether has followed Lieu across the AAPI political network throughout his time as caucus vice chair.
On July 13, 2024, at a stakeholders breakfast in Philadelphia hosted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and ASPIRE PAC, Lieu spoke about rising AAPI voter turnout and influence, and called for grassroots mobilization, voter registration and support for AAPI candidates in key districts. Read VT’s coverage.
On Aug. 19, 2024, the opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Lieu attended the DNC AAPI Caucus meeting. Read VT’s coverage.
On Jan. 7, 2025, at the APAICS Ceremonial Swearing-In & Welcome Reception for AAPI members of the 119th Congress in Washington, D.C., Lieu told VisibleTogether in an interview that he was proud to see AAPI representation in Congress reach unprecedented levels. In his remarks that evening, he credited CAPAC with growing its membership despite a challenging election environment. Read VT’s coverage.
For the 2025 Lunar New Year, Lieu, then the highest-ranking Asian American serving in Congress, delivered a New Year greeting in Chinese to the Chinese American community through ChineseinUS.
In August 2025, Meng and Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.) led a group of CAPAC members, including Lieu, in a letter asking the Department of Homeland Security to explain the detention and treatment of Asian immigrants and lawful permanent residents. CAPAC then featured the coverage of the letter as a top post on its social media. Read VT’s coverage.
On Dec. 10, 2025, at APIAVote’s annual Taste of Democracy event in Washington, D.C., Lieu spoke in tribute to Johnnie D. Giles, the organization’s late former board chair and recipient of a posthumous Beacon of Democracy Award, recalling Giles’s role in launching the Asian American Voter Survey and expanding AAPI voices through media partnerships. Read VT’s coverage.
On Aug. 26, 2026, after Timcast IRL aired remarks raising the internment of Chinese Americans, VisibleTogether reported on CAPAC’s statement condemning the comments, signed by Meng, Chu and Lieu. Read VT’s coverage.
Artificial Intelligence: Lieu’s Policy and Legislative Record
In January 2023, Lieu called in a New York Times op-ed for a federal agency dedicated to regulating AI. In April, he joined a bipartisan group introducing the Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Act, which would keep nuclear launch decisions in human hands. In June, he introduced the bipartisan National AI Commission Act. In September, TIME named him to its inaugural TIME100 AI list.
In February 2024, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Jeffries created the Bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, with 12 members from each party, chaired by Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) with Lieu as co-chair. In December 2024, the task force delivered a 273-page final report to both leaders, with 66 key findings and recommendations spanning education, health care, intellectual property and national security.
In December 2025, Jeffries formed the House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy to develop Democratic AI policy, with Lieu as a co-chair. Its members include Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.). In July 2026, Lieu and Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) introduced the AI Kill Switch Act, which would require developers of advanced AI systems to maintain the technical ability to throttle, suspend or shut down their systems.
