Rep. Ted Lieu says Democrats can win additional House seats, plan to keep challenging Virginia’s redistricting, and urges new Indo-Pacific defense strategy.
A key House battlefield is taking shape as Rep. Ted Lieu argues that Democrats can blunt Republican gains and still win back control of the chamber—while also pressing for major changes to U.S. defense planning in the Indo-Pacific and tougher guardrails for emerging AI systems.
Speaking on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on May 10. 2026. the California Democrat—vice chair of the Democratic Caucus and a member of the foreign affairs committee—told the host he does not accept the premise that Republicans have already locked in a decisive advantage from recent court-ordered redistricting outcomes.. Lieu also extended holiday greetings to mothers across the country.
On the question of how court decisions and redistricting have reshaped the political math. Lieu said Republicans’ supposed edge is based on outdated data from the last election cycle.. He argued that the “Trump coalition” has weakened due to rising gas prices. surging inflation. and a broader shift reflected in polling as well as special election results over the past year.
Lieu added that. in his view. Republicans could gain another three to five seats compared with previous expectations—but not enough to stop what he described as a Democratic “blue wave” later this year.. He pointed to the midterms as the arena where Democrats will try to convert their current momentum into seats.
The interview also returned to Virginia, where Democrats spent heavily on redistricting-related efforts after court rulings upended the process.. Lieu characterized what he described as the Virginia Supreme Court’s actions as not only incorrect but disgraceful. saying the court effectively forced Virginia voters to go through an election and then rendered the result meaningless.
Lieu said Democrats would continue challenging the outcome through legal and political options.. He acknowledged that some of the money spent in the Virginia races came from (c)(4) organizations rather than direct “hard money” that would be used for other campaigns. but he argued the larger issue was that taxpayers paid for what he called a wasted process.
Asked whether the financial costs were worth it, Lieu said Democrats would keep fighting, framing it as a matter of principle and strategy. He argued that of the four Virginia seats at issue, Democrats expect to win two in the midterms—turning the courtroom conflict into a campaign target.
Lieu’s House message was rooted in costs confronting voters. He said the electorate supported Donald Trump because they wanted lower costs, and he argued that the current economic pressures—rising inflation and higher gas prices—contradict that promise.
He also linked cost pressures to what he described as Trump tariffs raising costs on products nationwide. and he argued that families are dealing with debt and bills.. Within that framing. he said Democrats intend to run on reducing health care costs and lowering energy and other costs across the board.
The discussion turned to health policy and the aftermath of prior legislative fights.. Brennan noted that Democrats shut down the government over a health care argument. did not secure policy concessions. and that premiums still rose.. Lieu responded by pointing to action the House took—passing an extension of ACA tax credits for three years—and said Democrats urged the Senate to pass it.
He also said that, if Democrats regain control, they would seek to reverse what he called major Medicaid cuts, Medicare cuts, and reductions to the Affordable Care Act that he attributed to Trump and Republican policies from the previous year.
Lieu’s foreign policy remarks came next. with Brennan raising the Indo-Pacific and Taiwan at a moment of intense diplomatic focus.. She referenced Secretary Rubio’s comments that Taiwan would likely be discussed during President Trump’s trip to China this week. including a meeting with Xi Jinping. and noted that Taiwan’s parliament had approved $25 billion to buy more American weapons.
Lieu said he supports maintaining the “current status quo” on Taiwan—an approach he said has been shared by both Democratic and Republican administrations. His rationale centered on preventing China from taking actions that could trigger a military conflict in the region.
He used the Iran war as an illustration for why he believes the U.S. needs a new strategy for the Indo-Pacific. Lieu argued that prolonged conflict would drain American defensive resources, saying the U.S. began running out of defensive munitions in a war that he said lasted less than 60 days.
In his account. even a conflict against what he described as a less formidable military resulted in strikes against multiple U.S.. bases.. From there. Lieu argued that in any conflict involving China or Russia. American overseas bases could be overwhelmed. and he called on the Pentagon to deliver an updated defense strategy to Congress.
Brennan pressed on whether the U.S.. can deliver on Trump’s large arms-sale promises to Taiwan given the condition of stockpiles and manufacturing capacity.. Lieu answered bluntly that America cannot sustain the kinds of deliveries promised for prolonged conflict scenarios involving Russia and China and said that even in an Iran-like timeframe. the U.S.. began to run low.
He pointed to production constraints, arguing that some defensive missiles take a long time to manufacture and that the U.S. produces only limited quantities each year—making it difficult to meet the scale implied by large commitments.
Later, the interview shifted to artificial intelligence regulation. Brennan brought up a report that President Trump is considering an executive order aimed at government oversight of new AI models, and Lieu acknowledged he has legislation related to the issue.
Lieu said he believes guardrails are necessary and criticized the notion of allowing the AI industry to operate without restraint.. He described himself as a recovering computer science major and said he finds the prospect of unchecked AI development “horrible. ” emphasizing that reasonable safeguards are required.
The segment ended as Brennan indicated they were encountering audio issues during the conversation, cutting off further follow-up.. The interview nonetheless left a clear picture of Lieu’s priorities heading into the midterms: contesting how redistricting outcomes will play at the ballot box. pushing Democrats to keep challenging Virginia’s redistricting fight. attacking cost-of-living pressures as the core campaign issue. and urging changes to defense planning and AI oversight.
Ted Lieu Democratic Party House elections Virginia redistricting Taiwan defense Indo-Pacific strategy AI oversight