The road to the House majority for Democrats could run through the Golden State.

What You Need To Know

  • Derek Tran and Dave Min have been added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" list, Spectrum News has learned

  • The "Red to Blue" list is an indicator that the DCCC is invested in these races, and sees them as flippable in November

  • Tran, a political newcomer, is facing off against Republican incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel, who was first elected in 2020

  • Min, a California state senator, is running against Scott Baugh to try and keep the CA-47th blue following Rep. Katie Porter's exit from the House in 2024

Just days after Derek Tran declared victory in the California 45th Congressional race, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has announced it is adding him to their "Red to Blue" list, Spectrum News has learned.

The "Red to Blue" list is an indicator that the DCCC is invested in these specific candidates and sees the districts as a key part of Democrats strategy to regain control of the House.

Tran, a political newcomer who is a lawyer and army veteran, beat out fellow Democrats Kim Nguyen-Penaloza, Cheyenne Hunt and Aditya Pai for the nomination. The son of Vietnamese refugees and a father of three told Spectrum News says it’s “a lot of pressure” with so much attention on his campaign, but that it’s nothing new for him.

“I’m used to this type of pressure, representing my clients in the courtroom seeking justice for them. I really just see this as a way of finding justice and representing the people that will elect me to Congress,” Tran said. 

“It's about uniting everyone right now, uniting the party and those that were supporting my primary opponents and just bringing us all together to make sure we see the end goal of all of this which is to defeat Michelle Steel.”

California’s 45th Congressional District race is a contest that is being closely watched by both parties this year, with Democrats painting incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel as an extremist on abortion. 

“What is galvanizing the voters in the 45th district is abortion rights, and it has been since Roe v. Wade was gutted by the Supreme Court,” said Tran, who pointed to Steel’s support and then about-face on the Life at Conception Act following a speech on the House floor two days after the primary election. “The voters and the people of CA-45 deserve a way better representative than her.” 

The district went for President Joe Biden in 2020 despite electing Steel that same year, and according to the California Secretary of State’s office, the district has more registered Democrats than Republicans. But with Steel’s name recognition and nearly $3 million war chest, Tran will need to fundraise heavily in the next several months to compete with Steel. The additional attention from the Democratic party on this race is likely to help bolster Tran’s financial support.

“Derek Tran is ready to turn his lifelong call to service into action so that Orange County families have someone fighting on their behalf. At every turn, Michelle Steel has fought against legislation that would help middle-class families get ahead, backing dangerous and extreme restrictions on their fundamental freedoms – and Southern California can’t afford her partisan games any longer. That’s why voters in California’s 45th will choose Derek this November,” said DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene in a release first shared with Spectrum News.

Dave Min, a California State Senator running to succeed Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., has also been added to Democrats target list as they seek to keep the seat blue following Porter’s departure from the House next year. 

“When Katie Porter, who is obviously a rock star wins this seat only three points, that's a clear signal of how potentially close this redistricting district might be. And certainly the Republicans have recognized it,” said Min. “I know that it's gonna be a tough battleground.”

“[I’m] very grateful to be on this list. We're going to need to help, we know that this is going to be maybe the most important seat for control of Congress this year.”

Min is facing Republican candidate Scott Baugh, a lawyer and former state assemblyman for the seat. Both men have name recognition within the district, though Democrats have an edge in voter registration as of the California Secretary of State’s February 20th report. 

“The stakes of this election are incredibly high. We're seeing right now what happens when the House of Representatives is controlled by this particular iteration of the GOP and its dysfunction, but it's also conspiracy theories, it's whack job theories. And we have to, I think, change course,” said Min. “I’ve proven I can win out here – I've been in a number of tough elections.”

Min had an uphill battle to the Democratic nomination, following a DUI charge last year (he was sentenced to three years of informal probation for his misdemeanor charge) and a bitter primary challenge from fellow Democrat Joanna Weiss. Min beat Weiss by 11,591 votes to secure a second place finish to Baugh and secure his place on the ballot in November.

Despite the attacks from Weiss pertaining to his DUI, Min said he feels Democrats in the district will unite come November.

“I made a big mistake last year when I got the DUI. But you know, they hit me with the best shot they have, and I think we're feeling like we've got a pretty good set of momentum here,” he explained. “I don't think that the negativity of the campaign really hurt my standing with base Democrats, with activists, with donors in the area. We know that they're all with us, they're standing with us. We had a strong grassroots base coming into this race with Katie Porter’s support, a lot of other support, and we built up a lot of grassroots momentum over the course of this campaign.” 

Min’s challenge now will to be to fundraise and convince swing voters he’s the best choice to represent the Orange County district. It’s a seat Democrats are hoping they can hold on to with Porter’s star power departing next year.

“Dave Min has been a consistent champion and problem solver for the people of Orange County – and he’s ready to bring that record of service and bipartisanship to the halls of Congress. Dave is the right person to defeat far-right extremist Scott Baugh this November and give Orange County families the type of representation and advocacy they deserve,” said DelBene.

The list of California candidates on the DCCC’s Red to Blue list includes:

  • Adam Gray, candidate for California’s 13th Congressional district (represented by GOP Rep. John Duarte)
  • Rudy Salas, candidate for California’s 22nd Congressional district (represented by GOP Rep. David Valadao)
  • George Whitesides, candidate for California’s 27th Congressional district (represented by GOP Rep. Mike Garcia)
  • Will Rollins, candidate for California’s 41st Congressional district (represented by GOP Rep. Ken Calvert)
  • Derek Tran, candidate for California’s 45th Congressional district (represented by GOP Rep. Michelle Steel)
  • Dave Min, candidate for California’s 47th Congressional district (vacant, seat once held by Rep. Katie Porter)