U.S. House, California 36th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in California's 36th Congressional District?
Ted W. Lieu has the strongest record in California's 36th Congressional District. Ted W. Lieu scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Ted W. Lieu's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Houston Brignano (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Houston Brignano
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Ted W. Lieu
66 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 56
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Houston Brignano
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Ted W. Lieu
- On the record2021-02
Served as one of nine House impeachment managers in the February 2021 Senate trial of President Donald Trump, per Voice of America.
Source: Voice of America, May 28, 2021
- Credit2023-12-22
Sponsored H.R. 5542, the Accountability in Assignment Restrictions and Reviews Act of 2023, incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, signed Dec. 22, 2023.
- Credit2023-09-07
Named to TIME's first TIME100 AI list on Sept. 7, 2023.
Source: TIME, Sept. 7, 2023
- Credit2022-12-29
Sponsored H.R. 404, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act, with seven Republican cosponsors; it was incorporated into the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.
- Credit2021-06-23
Sponsored H.R. 711, the West Los Angeles VA Campus Improvement Act of 2021, signed into law June 23, 2021 (Pub.L. 117-18).
- Credit2021
Served in the Air Force JAG Corps and, as of May 2021, as a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, per Voice of America.
Source: Voice of America, May 28, 2021
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Houston Brignano. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or official finding found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Ted W. Lieu. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file, filed Aug. 13, 2026 after an extension; the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078282, House Committee on Ethics site search for Lieu, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Houston Brignano. No public record found.
Ted W. Lieu. Voted against both Minority Leader Jeffries and Whip Clark on several significant 2025 to 2026 roll calls, including the CLARITY Act, the Fix Our Forests Act and a 2026 FISA Section 702 extension.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 199, 2025, CLARITY Act, House Clerk Roll Call 25, 2025, Fix Our Forests Act, House Clerk Roll Call 155, 2026, FISA Amendments Act extension
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Houston Brignano. No public record found.
Ted W. Lieu. Holds regular press conferences with reporters as House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair. No 2026 general election debate or open in-person town hall record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Houston Brignano. No public record found.
Ted W. Lieu. Served on active duty and in the reserve as an Air Force officer, retiring as a colonel in 2021, and in local, state and federal office since 2002. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Lieu
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Houston Brignano. No public record found.
Ted W. Lieu. Served in the Air Force and its reserve and has held sworn office since 2002; voted Nay on both January 2021 objections and raised no objection in January 2017. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Office site, About, House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 6, 2021
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Houston Brignano. Says he served two tours in Iraq as a Marine and built a career in technology and at sports and entertainment venues. Has not held public office.
Source: Campaign site, About
Ted W. Lieu. In his sixth House term since 2015, after the State Assembly (2005 to 2010), State Senate (2011 to 2014) and Torrance City Council.
Sources: Office site, About, Ballotpedia, Ted Lieu
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Houston Brignano. Campaign site and survey answers state positions on immigration, health care, spending transparency and AI job training in general terms.
Sources: Campaign site, Solutions, Ballotpedia, Houston Brignano
Ted W. Lieu. Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, an elected leadership post (E5), on the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees; co-chaired the House's bipartisan AI task force in the 118th Congress.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Houston Brignano. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025 and publishes a solutions page.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Houston Brignano, Campaign site, Solutions
Ted W. Lieu. Offers a newsletter, publishes issue pages and holds regular press conferences. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, House Democratic Caucus, press releases, Ballotpedia, Ted Lieu
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Houston Brignano. Says he was born and raised in the South Bay, which the district covers, and lives there. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show all $4,461 of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Campaign site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Ted W. Lieu. Elected to the Torrance City Council in 2002 and his Torrance home is in the district. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 53 percent of itemized individual contributions from California.
Sources: Wikipedia, Ted Lieu, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Houston Brignano. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Ted W. Lieu. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine names his committee; the one result is another campaign's case.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Houston Brignano. No public record found.
Ted W. Lieu. Center for Effective Lawmaking rated him Exceeds expectations in the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 0.850, benchmark 0.539).
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Houston Brignano. No public record found.
Ted W. Lieu. Missed 369 of 6,404 roll call votes, 5.8 percent, from January 2015 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Houston Brignano. No public record found.
Ted W. Lieu. Runs a district office in West Los Angeles and a Manhattan Beach office by appointment, and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, About, Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Houston Brignano. No public record found.
Ted W. Lieu. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.46886 in the 118th Congress (2023), ranked 220 of 436, a negative score above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Houston Brignano. No public record found.
Ted W. Lieu. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in California's 36th Congressional District?
Ted W. Lieu has the strongest record in California's 36th Congressional District. Ted W. Lieu scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Ted W. Lieu's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Houston Brignano (6 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in California's 36th Congressional District in 2026?
Houston Brignano (Republican), Ted W. Lieu (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Houston Brignano a good candidate for Congress?
Houston Brignano has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Ted W. Lieu a good candidate for Congress?
Ted W. Lieu scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every California race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the California 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.