Election Results and Impact

Democratic candidate Derek Tran has officially won the House seat for California’s 45th congressional district, as declared by the Associated Press on Wednesday. With 99% of the vote counted, Tran secured 50.1% of the ballots while incumbent Republican Representative Michelle Steel garnered 49.9%. This victory narrows the Republican majority in the House, which has already been impacted by President-elect Donald Trump’s appointments of several Republican House members to positions in his upcoming administration.

Key Race Details

• Tran’s victory was achieved with a narrow margin of just over 600 votes in what has been described as one of the most competitive and costly races in the nation.
• Steel acknowledged her defeat in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, expressing her pride in her contributions and asserting that “Everything is God’s will.”

Republican Majority After Tran’s Victory

The outcome of Tran’s race leaves the Republicans holding 220 seats in the House, compared to the Democrats’ 214. This is a tighter margin than the current Republican majority, which stands at a seven-seat advantage. The Republican bloc’s size is expected to decrease further as Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida are likely to leave their positions to join the Trump administration, and Florida’s first congressional district remains vacant after the resignation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Candidate Background

Michelle Steel first entered Congress in 2020, marking her as one of the initial three Korean American women to do so. Derek Tran, an Army veteran of Vietnamese descent, campaigned on a platform focused on advocating for women’s health rights, educational improvements, healthcare access, and countering the influence of Trump and his allies. California’s 45th district, which spans parts of Orange and Los Angeles Counties, is home to the largest population of Vietnamese Americans outside of Vietnam. With his win, Tran will become the first Vietnamese American representative for this district.

Remaining Races to Watch

As of Wednesday evening, the only outstanding congressional race yet to be called was in California’s 13th District. Democratic candidate Adam Gray was leading incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte by under 200 votes, as reported around 5:30 PM EST on the same day.

Significant Quote

“Only in America can you go from refugees fleeing with nothing but the clothes on your back to becoming a member of Congress in just one generation,” Tran stated following his victory announcement before the AP officially called the race.