ICYMI: Congressman Derek Tran Discusses First Term, Reelection Campaign on Spectrum News 1

“During this year in the minority, I was able to bring back $14 million to my cities, and that’s tax dollars that are going back to work for my constituents.” – Rep. Derek Tran

Garden Grove, CA – In case you missed it, Frontline Member and Democratic nominee Derek Tran joined Spectrum News 1’s Amrit Singh to discuss his first term and reelection campaign in California’s 45th Congressional District.

Congressman Tran highlighted the funding he has secured for Orange and Los Angeles Counties, holding GKN Aerospace accountable for the hazardous materials incident in May 2026, and the important work ahead to continue delivering for Southern California families.

Video: Inside the Issues with Amrit Singh

• Amrit Singh: You’re running for reelection. You’re in the campaign headquarters. This is the campaign season. So tell us first and foremost, why it is you want to go back to D.C.? Why do you want people to vote for another two years?

• Congressman Tran: I’m proud to represent California’s 45th District here. That spans from North Fullerton all the way to Fountain Valley and a bunch of LA County cities like Cerritos and Artesia. I’m running again because my work is not done. During this year in the minority, I was able to bring back $14 million to my cities, and that’s tax dollars that is going back to work for my constituents and my community. There’s a lot more for me to do, and that’s why I want to continue representing my district.

• Singh: What’s something that you feel you could have done better – something you want to do better the second term as compared to what you did in the first?

• Tran: I’m hoping and I feel that we’re going to win the majority, so in the majority, we’re going to be able to do a lot more. And I think, bringing back resources for my district becomes a lot easier when you’re in the majority. One of the things I’ve learned quickly is how much being part of Washington, D.C., you have to build relationships and having relationships with both folks on the Democratic side and across the aisle is vitally important, so that’s one thing that I want to continue building on.

The full interview is available here.

California’s 45th Congressional District is one of the most competitive House seats in the country and is identified as a 2026 Frontline race by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In 2024, Tran flipped the seat from red-to-blue by 653 votes (a 0.2% margin) in the second-closest and most expensive House race ($46 million spent) in the country.