Winning over voters in Orange County's Little Saigon is critical to securing the 45th district seat, and this year's contest may see a sharper split in votes within the community than past ones.

Two-term incumbent Michelle Steel is Republican, like many of the older Vietnamese Americans who reliably head to the polls each election.

But for the first time, Steel is facing a Vietnamese American challenger in Democrat Derek Tran at a moment when many Little Saigon voters are eager to see someone with their background represent them for the first time in Congress.