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Apil 12th, 2024 Len’s Political Note #635 Derek T. Tran California 45
2024 General Election
California’s 45th Congressional District starts north and east of Fullerton and surrounds Anaheim like a giant C. The district continues west and south through Garden Grove, not quite to Santa Ana or Huntington Beach. Whites are a minority in the district, just 25% of the population. Hispanics are nearly one-third of the district at 30%. Asians, though, are nearly 40% of the district’s popiulation. Nearly half of that 40% were Vietnamese Americans. The district is prosperous, with a median household income that is above $100,000.
Consider Asian Americans in American politics. There have been six governors of Asian descent. Three governed Hawaii – a Japanese American, a Native Hawaiian, and a Filipino American. Two South Asian Indians have led American states – Louisiana and South Carolina. And a Chinese-American headed the state of Washington before he was appointed as the US ambassador to China.
Nine people of Asian descent have been US Senators. Four of them were Japanese Americans. Three of them represented Hawaii; one California. Two were of Chinese descent. Both represented Hawaii. Of the remaining three, one, John Ensign of Nevada, proudly and frequently announced he was one-eighth Fillipino. The sitting Senator from Illinois is of Chinese and Thai descent. The Vice President of the United States and former Senator from California is of Caribbean-Indian and African-American descent. Seventy-one years after the end of the Korean War, the next Senator from New Jersey will probably be the first Korean-American Senator.
The House of Representatives has had 43 Members who were of Asian or Pacific Islands descent. Among the 17 current Members, there are people of ethnic origins who are relatively new to Congressional representation.
Four are Korean Americans. Of those two represent California, one represents the state of Washington, and one is that fellow from New Jersey. Another new ethnicity would might not have been recognized in the past. Teo Taiwanese-Americans are currently in Congress — one representing California, one representing New York. And one Pakistani American, represents Oklahoma.
The largest Asian group in the House of Representatives is Indian-Americans. Of the five of them, two represent California, one represents Illinois, one Michigan, and one the state of Washington. Three Japanese Americans are currently in Congress. Two represent California; one represents Hawaii. One of Virginia’s representatives is of both Filipino and African American descent.
Now Consider the candidates who ran in the March 5th multiparty congressional primary for California 45.
- In October, Jimmy Pham’s Vietnamese immigrant dentist father helped found Little Saigon of Orange County, the largest concentration of Vietnamese in the United State. Pham withdrew from the race for CA 45 to run for the State Assembly. He was one of the top two finishers for that race and continues on to November.
- Jay Chen, the 2022 Democratic candidate, explored another run and decided against it. He is Taiwanese American.
- Aditya Pai was born in Mumbai. Now he is an attorney with political ambitions. He got 8.4% of the vote.
- Cheyenne Hunt is a lawyer who clerked for Senator Amy Klobuchar and is focused on making social media accountable. Oh, yes.. She is a descendent of Syrian refugees.
- The Incumbent, Michelle Park Steel, was born in Seoul, South Korea. Her father had been born in Shanghai, China to expatriate Korean parents. Elected in 2020, she, along with Marilyn Strickland of the state of Washington, were the first Korean-Americans to serve as Members of Congress. Her husband, Shawn Steel, is a former Chair of the National Republican Party.
- Kim Bernice Nguyen-Penazola trailed Derek Tran by only .3% of the vote in the March 5th A city councilwoman, she is the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and a Vietnamese refugee – called by some a Vietexican. Her slogan was “One of us, for all of us.”
Derek Tran took second place in the multi-party primary. Not by much – fewer than 400 votes. Kim Bernice Nguyen-Penazola has endorsed him. So have many California Democrats. They see a chance to win here. Even though the incumbent is a Republican, Joe Biden carried the district in 2020. And the political winds have shifted a little bit.
He has the kind of credentials that ring true in his community and in this district. His family created a little grocery where Derek worked when he was not in school from childhood to high school graduation. He joined the army after graduation and with the army’s help got a BA from business oriented Bentley University. His JD is from closer to home – Glendale College of Law.
He opened up his own practice – The Tran Firm. Married to a pharmacist, they are raising three children, while he focuses on consumer law. He is on the board of the Consumer Attorneys Association of California as well as the Los Angeles branch of the Association. He sees and describes himself as a fierce litigator, fierce enough to get local recognition for his successes. He has retained his ties with the local community, mentoring students on a regular basis and as a donor to both local causes and to local and national Democrats. He portrays himself as challenging greedy corporations, retains and speaks about his memory of his family sacrifice to make their store run while also being saved by the safety net. He describes himself as passionate in support of programs like SNAP (supplemental nutrition), WIC (nutrition for women, infants, and children), and Section 8 housing vouchers. Confident that what he says make sense, he also argues in favor of working across the aisle with Republicans.
On March 8, the Orange County reported that Representative Michelle Steel had withdrawn her co-sponsorship of an anti-abortion bill. She explained the bill could “create confusion about [her] support for the blessings of having children through IVF.” So much for her belief that life begins at conception as expressed in the “Life at Conception Act” she was abandoning. Her spokesperson explained that Representative Steel is “pro-life with the exceptions of rape, incest, the health and life of the mother and does not support a national ban on abortion.”
Clear as she may be, an opponent, even a neutral observer might ask what her name was doing among the supporters of the “Life at Conception Act” in the first place. She did not know, of course, that IVF procedures required the disposal of fertilized eggs, children in the eyes of the Alabama Supreme Court, which brought the issue to the attention of the nation and to Representative Steel. She further explained: “As someone who started [her] family with IVF, [she understood] how critical it is to so many families that want to have children…”
The Hews Media Group further reported that Michelle Steele had opposed
- The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2221 and 2022 both of which protected the right to an abortion.
- The Ensuring Access to Abortion Act which would have protected the right to cross state lines to get an abortion.
- The Right to Contraception Act which would have protected men and women against a potential supreme court judgment to eliminate that right.
- The Right to Marriage Act which recognized the equality of same sex marriages
- The funding of the Violence Against Women Act – a comprehensive effort to prevent domestic violence
- The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act designed to make schools safer
- The Protect Our Kids Act which raised the age limit to 21 for purchasing an assault weapon
- The Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 which had also sought to limit access to these weapons
- The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Workers Act which sought to set a standard to enforce expectations of employers
Hews Media continues on to list act after act, bill after bill that Michelle Steel has opposed ranging from her opposition to aid to Ukraine to her opposition to opposition to capping the cost of insulin or gasoline to opposition to funding the Peace Corp.
An opponent or a neutral observer might speculate that Representative Steel is aware that the people of CA 45 supported Proposition 1 in 2022 – to create Reproductive Freedom as a Constitutional Right in California. The margin of support was 55.% to 44.9%. Hews Media comments that the local Republican Club, the Cerritos Republican Club, is fully supportive of Michelle Park Steel’s reelection though many of them would differ with her on the items she opposed. Hews Media speculates that the Club’s full support for the incumbent Republican has no purpose other than to “piss off the libs.”
Go ahead. Get angry at Michelle Park Steel and the Cerritos Republican Club for that matter. DONATE TO DEREK TRAN. Because this is a district that supported Joe Biden in 2020 and because the DCCC has named Derek Tran to their Red to Blue list, he will get DCCC and PAC support. He will get more, though, if he gets small donor support. He needs that support. Michelle Park Steel has nearly $3 million dollars available for the balance of the campaign. On February 14, Derek Tran had $66,000. I will say it again. DONATE TO DEREK TRAN.
Below are California candidates, with incumbents and insurgents listed in order of who, in my opinion, need resources the most. If all things remained the same, which they will not, Democrats are four seats away from controlling the House of Representatives in 2024. If California can protect its vulnerable incumbents and flip vulnerable Republicans, that state alone can create a Democratic House of Representatives.
Incumbents – Protect them
CA 47 State Senator and former Law Professor Dave Min. He is not an incumbent, but he is the Democratic candidate for the seat that Democrat Katie Porter held. Having come in second in the primary, Dave Min will have a considerable financial disadvantage against the Republican Scott Baugh. Three weeks before the March 5 primary, he had $200,000. He had to spend most of that to fend off a Democratic challenger. At the same time, Scott Baugh had $1.7 million and did not have a serious Republican opponent. Dave Min is starting from scratch. Daily Kos, taking into account the vacancy, saw the seat as the 14th most vulnerable Democratic seat in the country. In Mid-February, a Republican funded poll showed Min trailing 22-27. Consider this poll outdated and irrelevant, but do consider this a very tight race. DONATE TO DAVE MIN
Please note that the previous note #634 erroneously named Dave Min as Dave Kim in a few instances. I have no excuses.
Incumbent Jim Costa CA 21 is #14 among vulnerable Democratic incumbents on Len’s List. CA 21 runs south from Fresno to Visalia and Exeter. In Congress, he has been a Blue Dog Democrat – a supporter of the Keystone Pipeline, for instance. He is a supporter of other infrastructure – high speed rail in California. On February 14, Jim Costa had a modest $800,000, while his Republican opponent had less — $100,000. DONATE TO JIM COSTA. See Len’s Political Note #566
CA 49. Incumbent Mike Levin CA is #25 among vulnerable Democratic incumbents on both Len’s List and Daily Kos’s List. On March 5th, he won 51% of the vote, which is encouraging. Businessman Mike Gunderson will be his opponent in November to represent this coastal district that is south of Mission Viejo and includes San Blemente and Oceanside. On February 14, Mike Levin had $1.2 million; his opponent had $200,000. To keep the incumbent Democrat ahead in the money race, DONATE TO MIKE LEVIN. See Len’s Political Note #591
Incumbent Josh Harder CA 09 could be vulnerable to Republican Kevin Lincoln, Mayor of Stockbridge, the big city in the center of the district. Lincoln is a religious leader and a former Marine. Josh Harder has a big financial lead $2.3 Million vs $200,000. He would describe himself as fiscally conservative and socially progressive and eager to work across party lines. Keep Josh Harder well ahead. Make certain this seat does not become vulnerable. DONATE TO JOSH HARDER
Insurgents – Help them flip Republican seats. Remember Democrats are four seats away from winning the House of Representatives. Democrats could net a gain of 4 seats, maybe more.
Adam Gray in CA 13 is running against Republican incumbent John Duarte, who is #2 on Len’s List of vulnerable Republican incumbents and #1 on Daily Kos’s List. This inland district is south of Stockton and west of Fresno. After working for several state legsilators, Adam Gray was elected to the Assembly and proved to be very effective in bringing resources to his district. With $500,000 in the bank on February 14, Adam Gray has to catch up with the incumbent who had $1.5 Million. DONATE TO ADAM GRAY. See Len’s Political Note #586
Rudy Salas CA 22 is running against Incumbent Republican David Valadao who is #7 on Len’s List of vulnerable Republican incumbents and #3 on Daily Kos’s List. The district includes Bakersfield and rural areas north and northwest of that city. Rudy Salas was Bakersfield’s first Latino city councilor. The incumbent had $1.3 Million on February 14 to Rudy Salas’s $125,000. Rudy Salas has some catching up to do. DONATE TO RUDY SALAS. See Len’s Political Note #602
CA 45. Attorney Derek Tran is running against Republican Michelle Steel who is tied for #7 on Daily Kos’s list of the most vulnerable Republican Members of Congress. The district surrounds (leaving an escape route to the east) but does not include, Anaheim. The son of Vietnamese immigrants, he has been a consumer rights attorney. He has a real challenge ahead of him. On February 14, incumbent had $2.9 million to contest this race; Derek Tran had $70,000. DONATE TO DEREK TRAN.
CA 27. George Whitesides will be the Democratic nominee against Incumbent Republican Mike Garcia, who is #19 on Len’s List of Vulnerable Republicans, tied for #7 on Daily Kos’s List. Garcia’s good fortune may have run out. In this race he must run against former CEO George Whitesides to represent this district north of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara. On February 14, George Whitesides was winning the money race — $2.5 Million to $1.6 Million. To help him stay in the lead, DONATE TO GEORGE WHITESIDES. See Len’s Political Note #608
CA 41Will Rollins is running against Incumbent Republican Ken Calvert who is #17 on Len’s List of vulnerable Republican incumbents and tied at #19 on Daily Kos’s List. The district is east and slightly south of Los Angeles extending to Palm Springs. Will Rollins is a gay man and a former federal prosecutor. This promises to be a high spending race. The incumbent had $2 .3 Million on February 14, Will Rollins had $2.4 Million. Join the crowd. DONATE TO WILL ROLLINS. See Len’s Political Note #588
CA 03 National Security Figure Jessica Morse will be the Democratic nominee for CA 03 against Republican first term incumbent Kevin Kiley who is #24 on Len’s List of vulnerable Republicans and is tied for #7 on Daily Kos’s List. The district is west of Reno, NV and runs along the California Nevada border. Jessica Morse has been in charge of organizing California’s defense against wildfires. The incumbent is a young, smart, right winger. On February 14, Kiley had $2 Million available; Jessica Morse had a $660,000. If she can ramp up her fund raising, she could flip this seat. Help Jessica Morse. DONATE TO JESSICA MORSE. See Len’s Political Note #612
CA 40 Joe Kerr, a leader in the firefighters’ union has been accused of being too conservative. His opponent, Incumbent Young Kim works hard to appear to be a moderate, though the gun lobby rates her at 100% and her position on abortion is unclear. The district runs from south of Pomona to Mission Viejo. Joe Kerr spent his money on the non-partisan primary and had only $80,000 on February 14. Young Kim had $2.5 million. DONATE TO JOE KERR See Len’s Political Note #629
We have a presidential race to win
Support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
As we look toward November, 2024, Help sustain the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris campaign. Eleven polls between April 1 and April 10 found Trump ahead in 6 of them ranging from +1 to +6, Biden was ahead in 4 of them ranging from +1 to +4. One poll was even. Every donation, large or small, makes a difference. Larger donations mean more money for the campaign. But large numbers of small donations are a measure of enthusiasm for the candidate. Make a small donation if you cannot afford a large one. DONATE TO JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS. See Len’s Political Note #605
#17 in the Stephenson County, IL list of Biden accomplishments: Boosted the budget of the internal revenue service by nearly $80 billion over a ten year period to reduce tax evasion and increase revenue.
