Democratic incumbent Ted Lieu and Republican challenger Houston Brignano will face off in November for California’s 36th congressional district, which includes UCLA and surrounding areas.
Lieu and Brignano received the most votes in the June 2 primary, earning 61.1% and 15.3% of the vote, respectively, according to the Associated Press.
Lieu, who has served in the United States House of Representatives since 2015, sits on the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees and serves as vice chair of the Democratic Caucus.
Lieu’s campaign centers on protecting Californians’ civil rights, creating more humane immigration policies and regulating artificial intelligence, according to his campaign website.
Lieu funded his campaign primarily through the Ted Lieu Victory Fund, his own quarterly political action committee. The PAC’s biggest donors include unaffiliated individual donors, corporate executives and unions such as the Writers Guild of America West and the International Union of Operating Engineers.
Brignano, a technology executive, has advocated for an immigration system that prioritizes American-born citizens in the job market and AI-focused job training programs.
Brignano’s campaign was funded through support from individual donors.
The number of Democratic candidates elected in California is expected to increase by five in the 2026 election cycle because of Proposition 50, which redrew state districts to be more favorable to Democratic candidates. Californians voted to approve Proposition 50 in a November 2025 special election. It did not change District 36.
Lieu and Brignano did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Democratic candidates Marianne Shamma, Rustin Knudtson and Frederick Reardon, Republican candidate Melissa Toomim and unaffiliated candidate Claire Anderson will not advance to the general election.
