Biography
Derek Tran represents California’s 45th Congressional District, a seat he flipped from Republican to Democratic in the 2024 elections by defeating incumbent Michelle Steel. He is one of only a handful of Vietnamese-Americans ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress from California. His parents were among the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese refugees who fled to the United States after the fall of Saigon in April 1975 — a biographical fact he made central to his campaign and his identity as a politician.
Before entering politics, Tran worked as a workers’ compensation attorney in Southern California, representing injured workers in claims against employers. That professional background shapes his political identity: he frames himself not as a national progressive but as an advocate for working people in a district that includes both wealthy Orange County suburbs and working-class immigrant communities. CA-45 includes Westminster, home to “Little Saigon” — the largest Vietnamese-American community outside Vietnam — as well as Garden Grove, Stanton, and parts of Santa Ana.
His 2024 victory over Steel was one of the genuine surprises of the cycle. Steel, a Korean-American Republican who had represented the area since 2020 and was a reliable fundraiser, was considered a solid incumbent. Tran won by approximately 1.1 percentage points. The win was partly attributable to a slight but meaningful shift in Vietnamese-American voting patterns in the district, and partly to Tran’s effective framing of his personal story against Steel’s more conventional Republican incumbency. His hold on the seat in 2026 will be closely watched.
Key Policy Areas
Workers’ Rights & Labor
Tran’s professional background as a workers’ compensation attorney defines his legislative priorities. He supports stronger protections for injured workers, expanded labor rights, and protections for gig economy workers who lack traditional employment protections. His district includes many working-class immigrant families employed in service industries, warehousing, and small business sectors where labor protections are directly relevant to their daily economic lives.
Healthcare Access
Tran has focused on making healthcare affordable for middle-class and working-class families, particularly the many small business owners and self-employed individuals in his district who lack employer-sponsored insurance. He supports protecting the Affordable Care Act, lowering prescription drug prices, and expanding community health center access for underserved populations in Orange County’s lower-income neighborhoods.
Vietnamese-American Community
Tran is the de facto Congressional voice for Little Saigon and Southern California’s Vietnamese-American community — historically a conservative-leaning community due to strong anti-communist sentiment among refugees and their descendants. His ability to maintain credibility with a community that has often voted Republican is both personally significant and politically essential to his district viability. He has been careful not to alienate anti-communist Vietnamese-Americans while serving as a Democrat.
The 2024 Upset
Derek Tran’s defeat of Michelle Steel in November 2024 was one of the most notable House flips of the cycle. CA-45 had been held by Republicans since its creation in the 2020 redistricting cycle. Steel, who had previously represented a neighboring district, was a well-funded incumbent with strong ties to the Korean-American and broader Asian-American Republican donor community in Orange County.
Tran’s winning margin of approximately 1.1% was narrow enough that the race remained contested for some time after election night. The result reflected several factors: a slight but measurable drift among some Vietnamese-American voters toward Democrats, the strength of Tran’s personal refugee family narrative in a community with shared refugee history, and Steel’s challenges distinguishing herself from a national Republican brand that had negative connotations among some moderate suburban voters.
The seat will be heavily targeted in 2026. Republicans will attempt to recruit a strong Vietnamese-American candidate to challenge Tran on his home turf in Little Saigon. The 2026 race in CA-45 will be a test of whether Tran’s 2024 win reflected a genuine political shift or a one-cycle anomaly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Derek Tran?
Derek Tran is the Democratic U.S. Representative for California’s 45th District (Orange County / Little Saigon area). He is the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress from California, the son of Vietnamese refugees, and a former workers’ compensation attorney. He was elected in 2024, defeating Republican incumbent Michelle Steel.
How did Derek Tran flip CA-45 in 2024?
Tran defeated incumbent Michelle Steel by approximately 1.1 percentage points. His refugee family background resonated in Little Saigon, a community of Vietnamese refugees and their descendants. A slight shift in Vietnamese-American voting patterns and his effective personal narrative helped him outperform the Democratic baseline in a district Trump carried at the presidential level.
What is Derek Tran’s background?
Tran is a Southern California attorney who specialized in workers’ compensation, representing injured workers in claims. His parents were Vietnamese refugees who came to the U.S. after 1975. His professional background shapes his focus on labor rights, healthcare access, and economic security for working-class and immigrant families.
