Derek Tran, an inexperienced politician, recently experienced a stroke of luck against Republican Representative Michelle Steel in a hard-fought battle for a congressional seat in the Orange County district. Tran has the distinction of being the pioneering Vietnamese American to represent a region well known as Little Saigon which possesses the highest concentration of Vietnamese descent outside of Vietnam. Despite the enormous expenditures poured into the race, it emerged as one of the last to separate the wheat from the chaff.
As the days dragged on, Orange County and Los Angeles County officials seemingly took a lifetime to count mail-in ballots, leading to Steel’s lead dwindling to a meager 58 votes. It was only 11 days post the actual election date that Tran managed to pull ahead. A narrow lead of 613 votes prompted Steel to concede by Wednesday.
Tran, the progeny of Vietnamese refugees, was born on American soil, his father having escaped Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in 1975. A tragic sea disaster took the lives of his father’s prior wife and children. Undeterred, his father returned to Vietnam, remarried, and decided to relocate with Tran’s mother to the United States.
In Southern California, Tran’s unlikely win is often hailed as a proof of the indomitable spirit and tenacity of the Vietnamese American community. The race that took place in the 45th District was viewed as one of the nation’s most fraught, pitting Democrats and Republicans in a high-stakes tug of war over control of the House of Representatives.
With Steel’s loss, the Republicans currently command 220 seats in the House, precariously edging above the 218-seat minimum required to maintain control of the chamber. Notably, a single House seat remains in limbo in California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley. A Democrat leads over a GOP Representative in the 13th Congressional District, but the poll remains too tight to declare a clear victor.
Both Steel and Tran put significant energy into courting Asian American voters — a demographic that constitutes the majority of the district’s population. The district, comprising 17 cities from Orange County and Los Angeles County, includes notable areas such as Garden Grove, Westminster, Fountain Valley, Buena Park, and Cerritos.
Having South Korean lineage and brought up in Japan, Steel was a trailblazer in 2020, being one among three Korean American women to mark their presence in the House. Tran decided to emphasize on Vietnamese American voters and Vietnamese-language media, misguidedly assuming that voters would sacrifice their political loyalties for ethnic unity.
Steel found herself in the Democrats’ crosshairs because, in spite of being a Republican, the voters in the 45th District were swayed by President Biden in the 2020 election. Unfazed by the hostile political climate, the two-term congresswoman made full use of her remarkable fundraising abilities and invaluable links to the Orange County GOP.
The futile attempts to protect Steel saw the Republican establishment in action and saw an influx of investment from outside bodies. Even the cryptocurrency lobby and a significant super PAC didn’t hesitate to step in with sizable donations. Still, despite this Trump-like financial support, Steel couldn’t hold off Tran.
Democrats have brandished Tran’s win as a major victory in their ongoing efforts to snatch seats held by Republicans in California, a locale that’s seen five skin-of-the-teeth races. This strategically spun narrative attempts to overshadow the fact that Republicans were simultaneously hard at work trying to flip a district in coastal Orange County.
The remaining contests taking place in the agricultural locales of Central Valley and San Joaquin Valley were too close to concede. Democrats, quick to claim victory elsewhere, were notably silent on these fronts. While early leads may evoke premature celebrations, the electorate’s final voice is still to be heard in these regions.
Critics should question the misplaced priorities of Tran’s campaign. Rather than rising above pettiness and party lines, he chose to nurture the divisive politics of us versus them. By focusing on Vietnamese American voters and trying to channel their ethnic loyalty, there was a missed opportunity to bring about genuine change and improvement.
Even in the face of an intense and heavily funded campaign against her, Steel showcased admirable determination and strength. While the election may not have swung in her favor, her unrelenting dedication to the Republican cause and her constituents remains unprecedented. Her defeat, far from a statement on her capabilities, is rather a reflection of the misguided priorities of voters.
This episode indeed spoke volumes about the skewed perspective of the Democrats, who swung into action to protect their strongholds rather than investing in voter-centric policies. Their fixation on narrative construction rather than tangible action further showcases the widening chasm between their propaganda and the reality on the ground.
Despite Democrats’ celebration of Tran’s win, the political battlefield in California remains chaotic and undecided. The dust is yet to settle completely, and the potential for incredible Republican comebacks in the upcoming races still lingers. Tran’s victory is but a drop in the ocean, suggesting that the Democrats’ moment of pride may be short-lived.