MICHELLE STEEL and Derek Tran.
From staff and wire service reports
Which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives in 2025?
Races in California could provide the answer. Republicans are trying to hold on to a slim advantage in the lower house of Congress and Democrats are hopeful they can flip enough seats in California to enable them to win back the chamber.
Two of those seats are located principally in Orange County.
The 47th Congressional District tracks along the Orange Coast from Seal Beach through Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa and northeast into Irvine.
The incumbent is Democrat Katie Porter, but she stepped aside to pursue an unsuccessful bid for a U.S. Senate seat. The race is now between Dave Min, the Democrat and Scott Baugh, a Republican.
Baugh narrowly lost to Porter in 2022. Given the stakes in the closely divided district, the contest has been especially rancorous. Min ads call Baugh a “MAGA extremist” who would endanger abortion rights. Baugh says Min’s “extreme liberal views” are out of step with the district.
In the 45th District, two Asian Americans are the candidates. The district – intended to benefit members of that ethnic group is a tagged “C” shape running from Brea to Cerritos in Los Angeles County and then turning southeast through Stanton and into Garden Grove, Westminster and Fountain Valley.
The incumbent is Republican Michelle Steel and the Democratic candidate is Derek Tran.
Steel, a South Korean immigrant, is seeking a third term in the 45th District. The largest demographic in the district, which is anchored in Orange County, is Asian Americans, and includes the nation’s biggest Vietnamese community. Democrats hold a 4-point registration edge.
Steel first won the seat in 2020 and then again in 2022 with a 5-point win. This year she faces lawyer and worker rights advocate Derek Tran, the son of Vietnamese refugees.
Steel has been outspoken in resisting tax increases and says she stands strongly with Israel in its war with Hamas. “As our greatest ally in the Middle East, the United States must always stand with Israel,” she said in a recent email. She advocates for more police funding and has spotlighted her efforts on domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Tran has warned of Republican threats to abortion rights. Steel opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman, while not going so far as to support a federal ban. Tran also says a Trump return to the White House would put democracy at risk.
Categories: Politics & Elections
Michelle Steel is a liar. She has done nothing for women in her district. She co-authored the National Ban on Abortion. Check her voting record she hardly shows up at her office in DC. And for Scott Baugh, another corrupt person looking for power. He has done nothing for anyone but himself. He has a record of convictions for election fraud, violations of California’s Political Reform Act and forced to pay a penalty of almost $50,000, credit card fraud. He says he will change corruption in DC – oh come on. He will thrive on corruption in DC. Orange County certainly has its share of losers looking for power not interested in helping anyone. No media, corruption thrive.