Republican Michelle Steel concedes 45th House seat to Democrat Derek Tran

Republican Michelle Steel has conceded the hotly-contested 45th Congressional District seat to her Democratic challenger Derek Tran.

Tran's campaign said she called to concede around noon Wednesday, around the time she issued a statement on social media saying, "Everything is God's will and, like all journeys, this one is ending for a new one to begin."

Tran, who had declared victory on Monday after being 581 votes ahead of Steel, will make history as the first Vietnamese American congress member to represent Little Saigon in the 45th.

Tran's lead has since grown to 613 votes in a race that became the most expensive House contest in the country, drawing more than $45 million in spending.

Flipping the GOP-held 45th, located mostly in Orange County is a critical pick up for the Democrats. Republicans have already won back control of the House this election, but Tran's victory cuts into their already-slim majority.

What Steel said

In her statement, Steel, a Korean immigrant, described how she was able to "build my own American Dream," and represent first-generation Americans, "stand up to our adversaries, and defend human rights."

Rep-elect Michelle Park Steel (R-CA) poses for a portrait outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 3, 2020.

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Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images

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The Washington Post

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Campaigning on lowering taxes and inflation, Steel looked back on two terms in Congress during which, she said she worked on "behalf of legal immigrants and struggling families."

Steel, a former Orange County supervisor, was first elected to Congress in 2020, defeating Democratic incumbent Harley Rouda to become that year one of the first three Korean American woman to ever join the House.

With her district home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam, Steel fostered strong relationships with Vietnamese American Republicans who dominate local government in Little Saigon.

A repeated campaign tactic by Steel was to portray opponents as supportive of the Chinese Communist Party, which was considered anathema to many refugees who fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon.

But the strategy proved less effective against Tran, a lawyer and pharmacy owner, who underscored his pride as the son of "boat people."

What's next

Tran, in a statement released after Steel's concession, said he plans "to work closely with her office over the next month to ensure a smooth transition and handover of constituent casework."

One more House race has yet to be called—- California's 13th House district in the Central Valley, where Democratic challenger Adam Gray has taken the lead over GOP incumbent John Duarte.

That outcome will determine the final margin in the lower House, which is now at 220 to 214.

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