Former President Clinton will appear Saturday morning at rallies for two Orange County Democrats running in hotly contested House races that could determine which party wins control of Congress.
Along with Clinton, Reps. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), Marilyn Strickland of Washington, Jill Tokuda of Hawaii and several Asian American affinity groups will support candidates Derek Tran and State Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) on their “AAPI Day of Action.” The event is intended to reach Asian American voters, who have become a key voting bloc in the region, and residents of the Buena Park and Westminster areas.
Clinton’s presence at the event signals how “both parties are placing a high priority on winning these seats,” said David Wasserman, senior editor and elections analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report newsletter. Orange County leaned more Republican when Clinton was in office, Wasserman said, but the region has gradually moved left as it became more diverse.
Read more: National party leaders descend on California, where voters could determine control of Congress
“The Democrats are now on the rise in Irvine and doing better than they used to in southern Orange County, so the Republicans are trying to hold on to what they have,” Wasserman said.
Tran faces a costly and difficult fight in his bid to unseat Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Seal Beach), while Min and Republican Scott Baugh trade blows in an effort to succeed Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine).
“These are two of the most important goals for the parties in the country,” Wasserman said. On election night, the country may have to “wait for California to find out which party controls the House.”
Clinton is the latest high-profile Democratic politician to target Southern California as the Nov. 5 election approaches. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries attended campaign events in Orange County and the Antelope Valley over the weekend of Oct. 13, the same day House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) inaugurated Corona appeared.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
