With the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade, Derek will defend women’s health and women’s rights in Congress. As the father of a young daughter, Derek is 100% pro-choice and will stand strong to protect funding for Planned Parenthood and access to critical women’s health services like birth control and cancer screenings.

Derek believes education is the key to unlocking opportunity and a brighter future. The father of three young children in public schools and a youth mentor for kids in need, Derek will fight to ensure every child has a quality education by working to raise wages for teachers, investing in community public schools, supporting programs like early childhood education that give students more opportunities to succeed, and providing more vocational education and job training.

Derek believes healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. The owner of a local pharmacy along with his wife, Derek has helped people in his community get access to lifesaving medicine and understands the challenges people are facing trying to afford care for their families. He’ll take on the big insurance and pharmaceutical companies to rein in the high cost of healthcare and prescription drugs and expand Medicare so that everyone has access to quality, affordable health care.

With our democracy under threat from Donald Trump and his MAGA allies, Derek will defend our rights and values. He will fight back against extremists who want to cut Social Security and Medicare, discriminate against LGBTQ, immigrant and minority communities and take away a woman’s right to choose. And Derek will work to strengthen voting rights for every American and defend our free and fair elections from Trump and MAGA Republicans who want to overturn our democracy.

While families are getting squeezed by rising prices, Washington insiders like Michelle Steel are continuing to give tax breaks to their corporate donors and special interests. Derek will fight to end this culture of corruption in our politics. He supports efforts to limit the influence and power of lobbyists, refuses to take donations from corporate PACs and other special interests, and supports strong campaign finance reforms and more transparency to stop corporations from buying elections.

Derek is committed to standing with workers. As a workers’ rights attorney, Derek protected workers by going after corporations who put their profits over the fair treatment of immigrants, survivors of sexual harassment, and victims of workplace discrimination. Derek will fight to make the minimum wage a living wage so families can keep up with rising costs, advocate for safer working conditions and ensure all workers can secure affordable housing for their families and a secure retirement.

Derek is committed to keeping our communities safe. As the father of three young children, gun violence is sadly on the top of his mind almost daily. He will take on the NRA by fighting for common sense gun safety laws like universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons. He’ll work to put more police on the streets to crack down on rising crime and put dangerous criminals in prison. And Derek will fight for more investments in violence prevention and rehabilitation programs to address the root causes of crime.

Derek’s family fled a murderous communist regime in Vietnam. He knows firsthand the devastating impact of totalitarian governments and is committed to standing firm against Chinese Communist rule. In Congress, he will advocate for policies that promote democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression. He will support measures to counter Chinese aggression and expansionism, while also engaging in strategic diplomacy to protect American interests and strengthen alliances with our allies. Derek will champion initiatives that bolster economic competitiveness, reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains, and safeguard against unfair trade practices. By confronting the challenges posed by communism and China head-on, Derek believes that America can uphold the values of liberty and democracy that his parents sought when they came to this country, and ensure a brighter future for generations to come.

Derek believes small businesses are the backbone of our economy. As the owner of a local pharmacy in Orange County that provides low-cost medicine to his community, he understands the struggles that many are facing today. That’s why Derek will work to cut taxes for middle-class families and small businesses and bring back more good-paying jobs in clean energy and advanced manufacturing to ensure we make things here in America and keep our shelves stocked.