Observers across the country continue to closely watch the tightly contested race for Orange County’s 45th Congressional District seat, where the outcome will help determine just how much of a majority Republicans will have in the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives.
On Monday night, Democratic challenger Derek Tran’s lead continued expanding to 581 votes over Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in the race for Orange County’s 45th Congressional District – one of the tightest races in the country.
So far, Republicans have 219 seats in the House – just one over the threshold for a majority – according to the Associated Press.
Tran claimed victory in an email after the 5 p.m. update on Monday, highlighting his experience of making it to capitol hill as the son of Vietnamese refugees.
“This victory is a testament to the spirit and resilience of our community,” Tran said in a statement. “I am honored to represent you and eager to get to work and put people first.”
While Steel’s campaign hasn’t issued a statement on the race as of Monday night, the Republican Party of Orange County they’re focusing their efforts on the 45th Congressional District race earlier this month.
“This race will come down to every last vote. Our focus will be in curing ballots to ensure all Republican voters have their votes counted and at the Registrar of Voters ensuring election integrity,” reads a Nov. 13 email from Republican Party of OC’s Executive Director, Randall Avila.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, Tran saw his lead increase by 36 votes, according to an updated tally from the OC Registrar of Voters. The Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters isn’t expected to update until Tuesday afternoon.
The 45th Congressional District race has been in a dead heat for over a week and is one of the only three U.S. House races in the country not yet called by the Associated Press as of Monday evening.
The District stretches from Los Angeles County including Cerritos, Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens and Lakewood and into Orange County including Brea, Fullerton, Yorba Linda and encompasses Little Saigon in Garden Grove and Westminster.
Steel — a former Orange County supervisor — has held the seat since 2020, while Tran, a consumer rights attorney, is a political newcomer.
If Tran wins, Democrats will have claimed five of the county’s six congressional seats in this election, the most they’ve held since 2018 when they managed to win every seat in the county.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.
