California Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu has announced his candidacy for chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. According to a letter sent to fellow Democrats on Thursday, Lieu is seeking one of the top leadership positions in the US Congress. If successful, he could potentially make history as the highest-ranking Asian-American on Capitol Hill.
Lieu, 57, currently serves as the vice-chairman of the caucus, which is the fourth-ranking position in the House Democratic leadership hierarchy. He was born in Taiwan, grew up in Ohio, and was first elected to Congress in 2014. In his letter, reported by Politico and CBS News, Lieu stated, “I am now running for Chair of the Caucus because I want to work with all of you to seize the opportunity the American people just gave us.” He added, “If we do this right, we can build an enduring majority, one that will win not just the next one or two election cycles, but many more.”
The caucus chair and vice-chair are responsible for overseeing weekly strategy meetings and internal operations. The chair also organizes the annual Issues Conference to align party priorities and appoints leaders for policy-focused task forces. Republicans hold an equivalent position known as the Conference Chair.
Following a midterm election victory, Democrats are expected to regain control of both chambers of Congress. Media projections suggest Democrats will hold 255 seats in the House, exceeding the 218 needed for a majority. Other leadership moves include Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries seeking to become the next speaker, Minority Whip Katherine Clark running for majority leader, and current caucus chairman Pete Aguilar seeking to become the next majority whip.
Lieu, a former Air Force officer, serves on the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary committees. He also co-chairs the House Democratic Commission on Artificial Intelligence. He has stated that Democrats plan to hold public hearings and pursue legislation to establish guardrails for AI technology, which may include regulating AI models and data centre development.
Lieu is a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. In August, he joined other Chinese-American lawmakers to condemn a right-wing podcast’s remarks suggesting Chinese Americans could face internment during a US-China war. He has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and Republican policies. In a press release following his re-election, Lieu said, “With a united House and Senate, Democrats will focus on bringing down costs. We will work to reverse [Trump] and Republicans’ reckless tariffs, end their illegal war in Iran, and undo their cruel cuts to healthcare and food assistance.”
Lieu's office could not be reached for comment.
