GOP Rep. Michelle Steel won her reelection bid to Congress, the Associated Press called Monday night.
Steel was ahead of her opponent, Democrat Jay Chen, by more than 13,000 votes as of the latest vote tally Monday night.
“I am humbled that voters have given me the opportunity to continue to fight for them in Washington, DC,” Steel said in a statement. “I have been firm in my commitment to deliver for working class families, and will continue to work to lower taxes, stop inflation, and stand up to Communist China. Thank you to my family, friends, staff, and volunteers who have worked diligently the past year to deliver our message to voters and secure this win.”
Steel was first elected to Congress in 2020 — then, just one of three that marked the first time since 1994 that a Republican had unseated an incumbent Democrat in a House race in California.
She is a former county supervisor and state Board of Equalization member. Her record in Congress shows she’s aligned with the GOP majority on most major issues, such as voting against infrastructure spending and an assault weapons ban. And Steel has said she’s against abortion except in cases of rape or incest, or if the pregnancy threatens the mother’s life.
California’s 45th district, a C-shaped area, starts in Fountain Valley, curves north to pick up Cerritos in Los Angeles County and rounds out in Placentia.
The CA-45 race has drawn national headlines in recent weeks, with controversy over how Steel’s campaign has photoshopped images of Chen — a Taiwanese American who’s an intelligence officer in the Navy reserves — next to images of Communist leaders in an effort to sway Vietnamese voters.
The 45th congressional race was one of the more closely watched contests — both in Southern California and nationally as the 2022 midterms will determine which party controls the House next year.
Ahead of the election, data from the Orange County Registrar of Voters showed Democrats with a slight advantage over Republicans in terms of registered voters (about 36.8% to 33.6%). And 24.1% of voters in the district registered as no party preference.
“Michelle is the embodiment of the American Dream, and I know she’ll continue to work hard for her constituents, so they also have the opportunity to achieve their dreams. I look forward to our continued work together,” said Rep. Tom Emmer, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Brooke Staggs, Andre Mouchard, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.