Democrat Derek Tran leads Republican Michelle Steel by 102 votes in tight California House race
latimes.com — November 19, 2024, 09:01 PM UTC
Democrat Derek Tran leads Republican Rep. Michelle Steel by 102 votes in a closely contested House race in California's 45th District. The margin has shifted as more mail-in ballots are counted, with Tran gaining ground after initially trailing. Steel led by 58 votes on Thursday, but Tran took the lead on Friday and has since widened it. About 13,000 ballots remain to be counted, with many voters needing to correct issues for their votes to be counted. The race has drawn national attention, with both candidates focusing on outreach to Asian American voters. California's ballot counting process has been slow, leading to claims of voter fraud, which experts say are unfounded.