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Incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel (R) defeated Jay Chen (D) in California’s 45th congressional district on Tuesday following a controversial race in which public officials condemned Steel for using “red-baiting” tactics against her opponent, the Associated Press reports.
Steel successfully flipped California’s 48th congressional district from blue to red in 2020, but chose to run in the 45th district following last year’s redistricting.
Despite the recent leftward shift in historically conservative Orange County, Steel’s victory confirms that trust on issues like the economy and cost of living still lies with the Republican Party, particularly among Vietnamese Americans. Steel, who has edged further right-wing compared to fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim (California), ran on a platform of lowering taxes for all Californians, reducing crime, and combating homelessness. She has taken a hardline stance on abortion and opposes marriage equality.
Roughly a third of the new district’s registered voters are Asian American—and over 16% are Vietnamese American. Before redistricting last year, only one district was majority Asian American. Just two held pluralities of 40% or greater despite the state’s significant Asian American population. Redistricting was intended to better account for rapid growth in Orange County’s Asian American community over the past decade.
Kim drew early and sustained support from the Republican National Committee, which launched its first Asian Pacific American community center in Orange County in a bid to target AAPI voters. Her campaign, however, has been embroiled in multiple high-profile controversies this cycle.
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, Steel’s campaign distributed fliers and released an ad claiming that Chen—a second-generation Taiwanese American and U.S. Navy veteran—had Communist ties.
The ploy was part of an attempt to target strong anti-communist sentiments among Vietnamese Americans, who have historically leaned more conservative compared to other Asian groups. Prominent Asian American lawmakers condemned the“red-baiting” tactic for its exploitation of harmful stereotypes.
Chen faced a slew of criticism himself after he claimed “you kind of need an interpreter” to understand Steel’s words earlier this year. “My accent is my story,” Steel, who along with Kim is the first Korean immigrant to hold congressional office, wrote in an opinion piece in response.
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