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.

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.

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