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Democrat Derek Tran pulls ahead of GOP's Michelle Steel by 36 votes in the 45th House District
Republican Rep. Michelle Steel is in a tight race with Democrat Derek Tran.
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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The vote count in the 45th Congressional District keeps tightening. After shrinking for days, GOP Rep. Michelle Steel's lead over Democratic challenger Derek Tran disappeared with a release of new tallies from Orange County on Saturday.
Tran now leads by 36 votes, although new numbers from L.A. County have not been released since Friday. The district crosses county lines.
Race is one of 5 still being decided
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Note: The timeline is still updating with Saturday results but shows trend over time.
About the district
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Courtesy CalMatters
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Why it matters
Both political parties have been vying for the control of this swing district that sits mostly in northern Orange County. More than $46 million has been poured into the race, making it the most expensive House contest in the country.
It's also one of the last races to be called, although the GOP already has secured control of the House.
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How the count has been trending
Steel, a two-term incumbent, took an initial lead after Election Day, but recent updates trended favorably for Tran.
The gap between the two candidates dropped from 0.08% Thursday to 0.02% Friday, with nearly 305,000 — or 93% — of expected votes counted.
Then on Saturday, Tran took the slimmest of leads.
We'll have more on this developing story
Updated November 16, 2024 at 5:37 PM PST
This story originally published Thursday, Nov. 14 and has been updated multiple times with new vote tallies.
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