Initial Election Night results in the closely watched 45th Congressional race showed Democratic candidate Derek Tran in the lead.
The 8 p.m. results showed Tran leading his opponent Republican Congresswoman Michelle Steel by 2,559 votes – a 1.8% margin, according to the California Secretary of State.
The district stretches from parts of Cerritos to Fullerton, Los Alamitos, La Palma, Placentia, Yorba Linda and Brea, while dipping through Cypress and Buena Park and into Westminster and Garden Grove – the heart of Little Saigon.
The 8 p.m. results reflected only Orange County ballots as the LA County Registrar of Voters had yet to put up an initial count.
Steel, a former county supervisor, was first elected to congress in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. She’s been endorsed by the Republican Party of OC, several local police unions, the Lincoln Club, all members of the OC Board of Education, OC Sheriff Don Barnes and OC Supervisor Chair Don Wagner.
Tran – a labor attorney and political newcomer – is endorsed by the Democratic Party of OC, several labor unions, OC Supervisors Katrina Foley and Vicente Sarmiento, Association of LA Deputy Sheriffs and Moms Demand Action – a gun safety group.
According to data from the California Secretary of State, roughly 37% of voters are registered as Democrat, 33% are registered as Republicans and about 24% have no party preference.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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