Democrat Derek Tran unseats GOP Michelle Steel in razor-thin Orange County House race
Democrat Derek Tran has defeated Republican incumbent Michelle Steel for a House seat representing California’s Orange County and Los Angeles, NBC News projects, after a contentious race that centered on the candidates’ Asian American identities and use of aggressive anti-China messaging.
Democrat Derek Tran has defeated Republican incumbent Michelle Steel for a House seat representing California’s Orange County and Los Angeles, NBC News projects, after a contentious race that centered on the candidates’ Asian American identities and use of aggressive anti-China messaging.
Tran, an Army veteran, narrowly won in a race that came down to just a few hundred votes. His victory over Steel flips the 45th Congressional District blue, making it one of two districts to do so in a state that has largely shifted right.
The results come after an expensive race, with more than $34 million spent in the district, according to OpenSecrets, an organization that tracks spending in politics. Tran has performed better with voters in Los Angeles County, where he has had a significant lead over Steel. But the race is tighter in Orange County, the bulk of the district, where voters have repeatedly flipped between red and blue over the past election cycles.
Throughout their campaigns, Tran and Steel aggressively courted Asian Americans, who make up 39% of the population as the largest racial demographic in the area. The pair have opened up about their own backgrounds in an effort to cast themselves as the best representatives of the group.
Steel, 69, who in 2020 became one of the first three Korean American women elected to Congress, immigrated to the U.S. in her early 20s, opening a clothing store with her family. She previously served as a supervisor and chairwoman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors before running for Congress.
Rating: 5