In California’s 45th congressional race — a contest closely watched by both parties this year — Republican Rep. Michelle Steel is poised to advance to the general election.
But just who will join her is still extremely close: Attorney Derek Tran and Garden Grove City Councilmember Kim Nguyen-Penaloza, are essentially deadlocked for that second-place spot.
As of the latest tallies Tuesday evening in Orange and Los Angeles counties — both served by CA-45 — less than 250 votes separate the two. Tran narrowly leads.
See the latest election results.
Ballot counting is still ongoing, and county elections officials have until April 2 to report final results to the secretary of state.
The OC Registrar of Voters estimates around 80,000 mailed-in, dropped-off and provisional ballots remain to be counted for all races, though it’s not clear how many remain in CA-45. The LA Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk estimates around 126,000 ballots still need to be tallied.
Regardless of party preference, the top two vote-getters in the primary will advance to the general election in November, when voters will determine who will represent the over 752,000 people in the district, home to the largest Vietnamese enclave outside of Vietnam.
“I want to thank my family, supporters and everyone who voted,” said Tran. “My parents are refugees from Vietnam who fled communism, and now their son is running for Congress.”
“We look forward to the results,” he said.
Tran, a first-time candidate, said he plans to address the gun violence epidemic, advocate for women’s rights and fight the effects of climate change.
Nguyen-Penaloza, who unsuccessfully ran for the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2022, has focused her campaign on reproductive healthcare, affordable housing and healthcare.
“We know that this will be very close and is far from over. It could be many more days until we have a firm result as there are lots of ballots still left to count across both counties,” said Nguyen-Penaloza. “Like everyone else, I am awaiting the updates and for every vote to be counted in CA-45.”
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Also in the race are policy advocate Cheyenne Hunt and attorney Aditya Pai, who lag far behind. Hunt conceded her defeat on X (formerly Twitter) Monday evening.
“While the final outcome of this race remains too close to call, it has become clear that it will not be the outcome we had hoped for,” she said. “While this chapter may not have led to a seat in the House, I am optimistic about the future and the impact we can make together.”
Pai, who is in last place thus far, has not yet conceded.
Steel, who represents a district deemed a swing seat by election forecasters, may face a costly and precarious battle post-primary.
CA-45 is one of several Republican-held House districts that went for President Joe Biden in 2020 and registered Democrats in the district outnumber registered Republicans. As of Feb. 20, according to data from the secretary of state’s office, registered voters in the district include 36.9% Democrats, 33.3% Republicans and 23.8% no party preference.
As results stand now, CA-45 will likely feature a dichotomy between a Republican of Korean descent and a Democrat with Vietnamese roots — both Tran and Nguyen-Penaloza are children of Vietnamese refugees — who must appeal to the district’s large Vietnamese voting bloc, expected to play an outsize role in determining who represents them in the House.