A razor-thin margin of votes separates two candidates in one of California's most closely watched congressional races.
According to LAist, Democrat Derek Tran has declared victory over incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in California's 45th Congressional District, leading by 613 votes as of Tuesday afternoon.
The victory marks a significant milestone as Tran, a lawyer and army veteran who is the son of Vietnamese refugees, becomes the first Vietnamese American to represent the district that includes Little Saigon.
The race has been under intense scrutiny since Election Day, with Steel initially leading by 4.2 percentage points before her advantage gradually diminished.
The electoral dynamics shifted significantly during the vote-counting process. Tran's campaign estimated that around 1,690 ballots were yet to be counted, including provisional votes and mail-in ballots pending signature verification. Both campaigns have been actively engaging with voters to resolve issues with their ballots.
Orrin Evans, a spokesperson for the campaign, highlighted their efforts to encourage voter participation, noting that they are contacting affected voters multiple times to ensure their ballots are resolved.
Projections show that Steel would need to win 68% of the outstanding ballots to close the gap, a result that Tran's team views as highly unlikely.
The victory reshapes the balance of power in Congress, though Republicans maintain control. With Tran's win, Democrats now hold 213 seats compared to Republicans' 218, with two races still undecided in California and Iowa.
Speaking about his future role, Tran outlined his priorities. He acknowledged the challenges of working in a Republican-majority House under President-elect Donald Trump but expressed willingness to collaborate across party lines. His immediate focus centers on addressing inflation and supporting working families.
Tran has already begun preparing for his new role, attending freshman orientation in Washington, D.C. He described the experience as intensive, comparing it to "drinking from a fire hose." The congressman-elect shared his commitment to inclusive representation, stating:
It's not just the Vietnamese community that I am going to be representing. It's everybody in California's 45th District and I will do so honorably and with character.
The district, which spans portions of Orange and Los Angeles counties, encompasses Garden Grove, Cerritos, and La Brea. Tran's campaign emphasized his dedication to addressing economic concerns and fostering bipartisan cooperation.
Derek Tran's victory over Michelle Steel in California's 45th Congressional District represents a significant shift in local and national politics. The first-time candidate secured his win with a margin of 613 votes, demonstrating the impact of every ballot in closely contested races.
The election's outcome not only changes the composition of the House of Representatives but also marked a historic moment for the Vietnamese American community in Southern California. Tran enters Congress facing the challenge of representing a diverse constituency while working with a Republican majority under the incoming Trump administration.
