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The 2024 California's 45th congressional district election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the United States representative for California's 45th congressional district, concurrently with elections for the other U.S. House districts in California and the rest of the country, as well as the 2024 U.S. Senate race in California, other elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. The primary election was held on March 5, 2024, concurrently with the Super Tuesday presidential primaries. The election was won by Democratic challenger Derek Tran who narrowly unseated Republican incumbent Michelle Steel by just 0.2%, and the race was one of the closest of the election cycle.[1] Major news outlets only called the race 22 days after Election Night.
Based in Orange County and Los Angeles County, the 45th district contains all of Fountain Valley, Westminster, Garden Grove, Cypress, Buena Park, Cerritos, Artesia, La Palma, Placentia, Hawaiian Gardens, Los Alamitos, and Rossmoor, as well as portions of Brea, Lakewood, Fullerton, and Yorba Linda.[2] One-third of all registered voters in the district are Asian American, with Vietnamese Americans alone comprising 16% of the district's voters.[3]
The incumbent was Republican Michelle Steel, who was re-elected with 52.4% of the vote in 2022. Steel, who is Korean American, was first elected in 2020, unseating incumbent Democrat Harley Rouda. She previously served as a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the California State Board of Equalization.
The race was expected to be highly competitive as it is a purple suburban district. Both House Democrats and House Republicans listed California's 45th district among their highest-priority districts in the 2024 election.[4][5] Joe Biden carried this district by a 6% margin in the 2020 presidential election.[6] Steel was one of 17 House Republicans representing a Biden-won district.[7] At the local level, however, the 45th district has trended Republican, voting for Republicans in every state race in 2022.[8]
- ^ Nelson, Laura J. (November 27, 2024). "Democrat Derek Tran ousts Republican Michelle Steel in competitive Orange County House race". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Our District". United States House of Representatives Page of Congresswoman Steel. January 3, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Chan, Melissa (November 9, 2022). "Why a Southern California congressional race hinges on Asian American voters". NPR. The Morning Edition. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Solender, Andrew (November 22, 2022). "House Democrats eye lost ground in 2024". Axios. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Steinhauser, Paul (February 3, 2023). "McCarthy launches 'Protect the House 2024' as he aims to expand the GOP majority". Fox News. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts". Daily Kos Elections. September 29, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ Kondik, Kyle (December 1, 2022). "The New Crossover Members of the House". University of Virginia Center for Politics. Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ "Statement of Vote November 8, 2022 – General Election" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved January 5, 2024.