Rep. Michelle Steel holds a big lead over four Democrats in the March 5 primary contest for California’s 45th Congressional District, receiving well over half of the votes cast.
The Republican incumbent was first elected to Congress in 2020, representing the 48th District, then in 2022 ran in the 45th District because of redistricting.
She also formerly served on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, representing District 2, and later became chairwoman.
As of March 11, Ms. Steel leads the primary race with 56 percent of the votes. Four opponents trail her with 16 percent, 15 percent, 8 percent and 5 percent.
Ms. Steel’s closest runner-ups are small business owner and veteran Derek Tran and Garden Grove Councilwoman Kim Nguyen-Penaloza.
Mr. Tran’s lead would place him as the Democrat candidate to face Ms. Steel in the November runoff election.
Mr. Tran didn’t immediately return a request for comment to The Epoch Times.
In an announcement on her website, Ms. Steel said she will make true on her promises to fight off tax hikes and lessen government spending. She said she supports a secure border and “an America that challenges the Chinese Communist Party.”
“The defining difference in this race is I have the courage of my convictions and voters know where I stand on the issues that matter most to them,” she said.
Born in South Korea and raised in Japan, Ms. Steel began her tenure in U.S. politics in 2006 when she ran for the State Board of Equalization—the elected tax board for the United States—and at the time was the highest-ranking Korean American elected official in the nation.
Ms. Steel has been a strong voice against abortion—supporting a resolution to declare that life begins at conception and receiving an A-plus rating with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life American, a politically powerful anti-abortion group.
She has also been a watchdog over U.S.-China relations, serving on the House Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party and the Congressional Executive Commission on China.
Ms. Steel didn’t immediately return a request for comment to The Epoch Times.
Election results will be updated every weekday at 5 p.m. until they are finalized, according to the county registrar’s website.
