Democratic challenger Derek Tran has declared victory over two-time incumbent Michelle Steel in an Orange County, CA Congressional race independent analysts have yet to call.
Tran ended election night more than five percentage points down in the District 45 race.
About a week after the election, Steel’s lead began to evaporate, and Tran steadily made up that ground. On the night of November 15 Tran had taken a 36-vote lead.
His lead has steadily increased ever since. The latest results show him up 157,622 to 157,041 with 99% of the vote counted.
“This victory is a testament to the spirit and resilience of our community, “Tran said in a statement sent to AsAmNews. “As the son of Vietnamese refugees, I understand firsthand the journey and sacrifices many families in our district have made for a better life. My parents came to this country to escape oppression and pursue the American Dream, and their story reflects the journey of so many here in Southern California.”
Retired Democratic consultant Bill Wong expressed the same optimism as Tran to AsAmNews on Friday.
“The trend has held up for a while. Therefore, unless there is some unexpected aberration it should hold and Tran should win,” said Wong to AsAmNews. He says Tran’s campaign has likely been pouring over the ballots in Districts where he has performed well and determined how many votes are left to be counted in each district.
The latest vote totals come from Orange County where Steel is doing well, the LAist is reporting. Tran has performed better in Los Angeles County.
Democrats had an 18-point advantage over Republicans in late arriving ballots and those counted late, according to Paul Mitchell of the political firm Political Data.
There has been no comment from Steel’s campaign. Any voter can request a recount in California, but they must pay for it. Republicans currently hold a 219-213 over Democrats in the next Congressional session.
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isnt that funny how the late votes are ALWAYs in favor of democrats. I guess Steels victory is not too big to rig. They pulled the same garbage with Young Kim in 2020. it took democrats a month to produce enough votes beat her then. i know this because i was in Kim’s district until the democrats decided the 2 time incumbent Steel needed to add LA County to her district . People are laughing at us . Democrats don’t care they just want power
Produce the evidence, and there will be an investigation…
There is also the option of a recount. Of course, Trump really won in 2020. Notice when Trump wins, the election is fair and square. When he loses, it’s fraud.
The pattern is repeating itself with Steel.