Derek Tran’s Lead Keeps Growing Over Rep. Michelle Steel in Dead Heat Congressional Race

Democratic challenger Derek Tran expanded his pb erstwhile again Wednesday against Republican Rep. Michelle Steel to correspond Orange County’s Little Saigon successful 1 of the country’s tightest Congressional races. 

The 45th Congressional District contention has been successful a dormant vigor for astatine slightest a week and was 1 of the lone 4 U.S. House races successful the state not yet called by the Associated Press arsenic of Wednesday evening. 

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Tran was 397 votes up of Steel aft taking a constrictive pb successful the contention implicit the weekend, according to results posted by California’s Secretary of State.

The 45th Congressional 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 successful Garden Grove and Westminster.

Although the congresswoman is starring successful Orange County’s ballot counts, that pb has been slipping portion Tran has been gaining traction in Los Angeles County’s updated ballot counts. 

While the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters isn’t scheduled to update until Thursday, Steel continued losing crushed aft the Orange County Registrar of Voters updated the numbers astatine 5 p.m. Wednesday. 

On Tuesday, Tran’s pb sat astatine 314 votes. 

After lone Orange County updated ballot counts Wednesday evening, Tran’s pb grew by 83 votes – totaling 397 votes implicit Steel.

Michelle Steel speakstp reporters astatine Orange County and authorities Republican Party lawsuit successful Newport connected March 3, 2020.

Steel — a erstwhile Orange County supervisor — has held the spot since 2020.

Tran, a user rights attorney, is simply a governmental newcomer. 

His pb comes aft Democrat authorities Senator Dave Min won the hotly contested contention for the neighboring 47th Congressional District against Republican Scott Baugh. 

[Read: Dave Min Wins OC’s Coastal Congressional Seat]

With Min and Tran starring arsenic of Wednesday night, Democrats are poised to bent onto a bulk of Orange County’s Congressional seats, which they’ve held since 2018 erstwhile the county’s full legislature delegation was swept by Democrats until Republicans reclaimed 2 seats successful 2020. 

Hosam Elattar is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine helattar@voiceofoc.org oregon connected Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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