A narrow majority in the U.S. House has already put Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in a bind to pass conservative legislation, a Herculean task that became much tougher following the loss of a reliable incumbent.
The AP has declared that Congressman Michelle Steel (R-CA) was unseated by Democratic challenger Derek Tran, an Army veteran who outperformed the top of her ticket and won over swing voters in the traditionally conservative district, Fox News reports.
California’s 45th congressional district covers Orange County, including Fountain Valley, Westminster and Garden Grove, about 30 minutes to the south of Los Angeles. Census records show that Asian-Americans make up nearly 40% of the district, followed by Hispanic residents at 32% and whites at 24%.
Steel was first elected to Congress in 2020 in the neighboring 48th district, flipping the district red after defeating one-term Democratic incumbent Harley Rhouda.
California lost a congressional seat following the census, a process that saw Steel’s district shift underneath her to become to the more centrist 45th district it is today.
Despite making inroads in the suburban Orange County, President-elect Donald Trump lost the district to Vice President Kamala Harris, albeit by a smaller margin than Hillary Clinton or President Joe Biden.
In a post on X, Steel gave a nod to achieving the American Dream, referencing her emigration from South Korea and work on behalf of legal immigrants trying to do the same. “From the moment I came to the United States, I knew that giving back to the country that welcomed me with open arms would be part of my future,” she wrote.
“Because of the opportunities offered by this great country, and God’s great blessings, I was able to go to college, start a family, and build my own American Dream. I owe a debt of gratitude to my supporters, my staff, my family, my daughters and especially my husband, Shawn, for standing by me through endless campaigns. To my volunteers, we would never have made it this far without your tireless efforts. And, to the voters, thank you. I will never stop fighting for you.”
The outcome followed a protracted recount of more than 10,000 outstanding ballots under dispute. Tran carried a lead after Election Day that he managed to hold throughout the process; with 99% of the vote in, he appears to have won 50.1% to 49.9% — or by fewer than 500 votes out of over 315,000 cast, according to NBC News.
In a sign of how truly split Orange County can be, parts of the region reelected Republican Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) to the state’s 40th district. Kim, another South Korean-born lawmaker, defeated union-backed firefighter Joe Kerr by hewing to a socially moderate and fiscally conservative message, as well as voting to certify the results of the 2020 election. Speaker Johnson will need to focus additional time on assuaging centrists like Kim to vote in support of an ambitious conservative agenda that he has promised to deliver for President-elect Trump. Current projections expect that Republicans will maintain a 220-214 majority in the House.
