Derek Tran wins reelection in 45th District, NBC News projects

Rep. Derek Tran won reelection in the 45th Congressional District against Republican challenger Chuong Vo, NBC News projected Tuesday, according to NBC Los Angeles.

The projection follows Tran’s 653-vote victory over then-incumbent Michelle Steel in 2024. That election made him the first Vietnamese American congressman to represent the area, where Asian Americans are the largest ethnic demographic, according to NBC Los Angeles.

With 55% of the expected vote counted, Tran had nearly 60% of the counted vote, compared with Vo’s 40%, NBC Los Angeles reported. Those figures were partial results, not final totals.

Vo, the Republican challenger, is a retired police officer, according to the report.

Both candidates are sons of Vietnamese refugees, NBC Los Angeles reported. Tran entered the reelection contest after his historic victory in 2024.

In that race, Tran unseated Steel, a Korean immigrant. His 653-vote margin marked a narrow win; the partial returns reported in this election showed him with a larger share of the counted vote than Vo.

NBC News’ projection puts Tran on course to retain the seat he first won in 2024, with the reported vote count still incomplete.