Derek Tran

Derek Tran is a rising star in the California Democratic Party. Despite entering the U.S. Congressional primary late, he bested three other Democratic candidates. Tran is running in California’s 45th congressional district. The 42-year-old lawyer who specialized in personal injury and discrimination cases will face Republican incumbent Michelle Steel in a district that Biden won by a 6% margin. CA-45 includes sizable portions of Orange and Los Angeles counties.

The son of refugees from Vietnam, Tran enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 18. His fluency in the Vietnamese language is a boon in his district, which has the largest Vietnamese community in the country, He has a B.S. in economics and finance from Bentley University and graduated from Glendale University College of Law in 2013. He passed the bar exam in 2014.

Tran and his wife, Michelle, own and run a pharmacy in Orange County.

Tran vows to work to support issues important to the district’s middle class, drawing on his extensive legal experience to fight for justice and equality. “In the Army, I swore an oath to serve this country, and in November we will defeat corrupt Michelle Steel and provide true representation to the people of CA-45,” he said. He was named to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue Program as one of the most competitive Congressional races in the country.

Issues:

• Reduce cost of prescription drugs
• Protect women’s reproductive rights
• Expand healthcare coverage
• Stand up to Trump and his MAGA allies