Tran Raises Impressive Sum In The Face Of Special Interest Millions Backing MAGA Michelle Steel
Garden Grove – In one of the most closely watched contests of the 2024 cycle, Workers’ Rights Advocate, U.S. Army Veteran, Small Business Owner, and CA-45 Democratic nominee, congressional candidate Derek Tran raised over $2 million in the third quarter of 2024.
The announcement comes just days after an independent nonpartisan USC poll, found Tran leading the embattled MAGA incumbent Michelle Steel (45% to 43%), confirming his campaign’s growing momentum as voters respond to his compelling story and vision for the district.
With Steel’s favorability ratings dropping due to concerns over her extreme efforts to ban abortion nationwide as reported by the New York Times, and four national political forecasters– Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, FOX News, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball– recently moving this race in Tran’s favor, it’s clear that Tran has the momentum and is well-positioned to flip this critical seat in November.
“Our campaign’s momentum is stronger everyday thanks to our coalition of grassroots supporters,” said Derek Tran. “We are here without a dime of corporate PAC money. Extremist Republicans are desperate to save MAGA Michelle Steel from her anti-choice record, but voters recognize that I am the only candidate for Congress in CA-45 who will protect abortion rights and stand up against corporate special interests.”
In Q2, Tran outraised MAGA Michelle Steel — while Steel attempted to mask her campaign’s struggles with almost $1 million in personal loans. Michelle Steel made her fortune as a business partner to her husband Shawn Steel, who the Wall Street Journal and Orange County Register caught peddling political access to the Chinese Communist Party.
According to reports from the Wall Street Journal and Orange County Register, donors with ties to the Chinese Communist Party gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Trump’s re-election campaign in exchange for access, efforts facilitated by Shawn Steel. The money Shawn Steel made peddling influence has now apparently found its way into Michelle Steel’s campaign coffers through her massive loans – once again raising serious questions about her commitment to opposing communist governments.
Meanwhile, MAGA Michelle Steel’s image has taken a significant hit as voters become more aware of her extreme anti-abortion stance, alignment with the most far-right MAGA elements of her party, and her deep ties to corruption scandals, including her long-standing support for disgraced Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, who is currently under FBI investigation for abusing taxpayer dollars.
