Gil Cisneros

In 2017, he declared his candidacy against Ed Royce in the 2018 election for the United States House of Representatives to represent California's 39th congressional district . He specifically cited Royce's vote to repeal the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, as a reason he chose to run. In January 2018, Royce announced he would retire rather than seek reelection to a 14th term. Later, the election attracted national attention as the "weirdest race in the country" after the California Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee brokered a truce on negative campaigning between Cisneros and Andy Thorburn, who had each spent $6 million on their respective campaigns.

Cisneros and his wife, Jacki, have two children, who are twins. They own a home in Pico Rivera, and lived in Newport Beach until they moved to Yorba Linda in late 2017, the year he began running for election. Before Cisneros won the lottery, Jacki worked for KNBC in Los Angeles.

Cisneros's mother worked in a cafeteria, while his father served in the Vietnam War and suffered from exposure to Agent Orange. Cisneros served in the United States Navy as a supply officer for 11 years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science from George Washington University (GWU) and his Master of Business Administration from Regis University. He worked as a shipping and manufacturing manager for Frito-Lay, until he was laid off in 2010.

Cisneros was a Republican until 2008, but left the party because he felt it had become "too ideological" and switched to the Democratic Party.

Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. (born February 12, 1971) is an American philanthropist, veteran, and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for California's 39th congressional district . A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the House in 2018. In 2010 he and his wife won a $266 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot.