This board endorses Ted Lieu as congressman for California’s 33rd congressional district.
As the Democratic incumbent, Lieu serves on the House Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. And the two-term congressman has shown, through his public statements and his voting record, that he has the smarts and the boldness to push progressive views in Congress.
He has authored bills to enact green climate policies. Colleagues seek his advice on topics surrounding cybersecurity and technology, given he is only one of four members in Congress who graduated with a computer science major. He also serves as whip of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus.
It doesn’t hurt that Lieu has had no qualms about calling out the misconduct of President Donald Trump at every turn. He voted to protect the Affordable Care Act and rejected Trump’s proposed border wall. Additionally, he has successfully utilized television appearances, op-eds and social media to challenge the administration and its practices.
On the other hand, Kenneth Wright, Lieu’s opponent, presents vague platforms that do little to indicate to the campus community how he would represent them across the nation.
Lieu has instead prioritized student voices. He has an advisory committee made up entirely of high school students. He’s held town halls and teleconferences and has personally visited UCLA several times in his current term.
These are good faith efforts to engage with students that reaffirm Lieu’s care for students and the community he represents. The board has confidence his experience and tenacity would foster another meaningful term.