After a fierce contest that focused on the candidates’ Asian American identities and use of strong anti-Chinese rhetoric, NBC News reports that Democrat Derek Tran has upset Republican incumbent Michelle Steel for a House seat representing Orange County and Los Angeles in California.
Tran, a veteran of the Army, won by a slim margin in a contest that was decided by a few hundred votes. In a state that has gone heavily to the right, his victory over Steel turns the 45th Congressional District blue, making it one of only two districts to do so.
The findings follow a costly election in which the district spent over $34 million, according to OpenSecrets, a group that monitors political spending. In Los Angeles County, where he has a sizable lead over Steel, Tran has done better with voters. However, Orange County, which makes up the majority of the district, has seen a number of red-blue swings in recent election cycles, making the race more competitive there.
Asian Americans, the largest racial group in the region and accounting for 39% of the population, were actively courted by Tran and Steel during their campaigns. In an attempt to portray themselves as the group’s greatest spokespeople, the two have been candid about their personal histories.
Immigrating to the United States in her early 20s, Steel, now 69, opened a clothing store with her family before becoming one of the first three Korean American women elected to Congress in 2020. Prior to her bid for Congress, she was the chairwoman and supervisor of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
The 44-year-old son of Vietnamese refugees, Tran is a first-time candidate for public office. Tran, who presently serves on the board of the Consumer Attorneys of California, was a consumer rights lawyer after serving in the military.
In a contest where both candidates are fighting for the support of Orange County’s largest Asian group, the Vietnamese, Tran’s Vietnamese ancestry has been a major campaign theme. In an interview with VietFace TV in October, Steel stated that she is more Vietnamese than my opponent.
“I understand the Vietnamese community, even though my opponent has a Vietnamese name,” Steel stated.
Tran called the remarks “reprehensible and offensive to our Vietnamese-American community as a whole.”
While fleeing Vietnam, my father lost his first wife and four children, Tranwrote on X. Our identities and experiences cannot be stolen by Michelle.
Both candidates aggressively used anti-communist and anti-China rhetoric while running on distinct platforms in an attempt to win over the Vietnamese community, which is primarily made up of refugees who have previously stated that their votes were influenced in part by their experiences escaping communism. Tran has pledged to oppose Chinese Communist control with steadfastness. In a similar vein, Steel declared her commitment to opposing Communist China.
Asian Americans in the district are divided over the messaging, with organizations and people attacking the candidates, accusing them of red-baiting, or accusing one another of communist affiliations. Longtime Orange County voter and history instructor Don Luong claimed that the back and forth has diverted attention away from the candidates’ true ideas.
According to Luong, “you can just throw these catchphrases out there that really are emotional, and I think that’s disrespectful to me as a voter, as an American.” We’re not even discussing their problems or anything.
The candidates have made fun of communism while having similar views on the matter, linking one another to China through advertisements and mailers.
In earlier mailers, Steel has associated Tran with socialism. Tran previously called Steel’s advertisements xenophobic, but he did not reply to NBC News’ request for comment. Additionally, he shared Facebook ads that, according to a 2020 Wall Street Journal article, connected Steel’s spouse to Chinese agents.
Steel’s campaign cited a prior letter to Tran denouncing his claims that Steel was not a refugee and did not escape communism, but it did not elaborate on the red-baiting allegations.
Red-baiting, according to Luong, isn’t appealing to all local voters, even though it can work well with older Asian Americans, especially those who themselves fled Vietnam. Additionally, Luong stated that in order to make an impact, candidates will need to move away from using anti-communist and anti-China language as younger generations grow more politically engaged.
According to Luong, “people my age, I’m in my 40s now, everyone sees the red-baiting.” They perceive it as it is.
Nonprofit leaders in Orange County urged both parties to warn candidates against falsely implying that political candidates of Asian origin or those thought to be of Asian heritage pose a threat to national security in an open letter signed by over a dozen organizations.
The letter stated that there is no justification for political candidates to attack their rivals by utilizing racially scapegoating. Voters are seeking for answers, not for finger-pointing, and they can see through the scapegoating. It is possible for words to have deadly repercussions, and they have.
In a state that has mostly shifted to the right, Tran’s triumph represents a rare turn to the left. Notably, voters in California also showed a preference for more conservative approaches to crime control.
Due in large part to voters’ dissatisfaction with the Bay Area’s sense of safety, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price lost elections earlier this month by a margin of about two to one. Additionally, California voters rejected a ban on forced labor in any form, including prisons, and strongly supported Proposition 36, which increases the penalties for several felonies.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!