Lt. Commander Jay Chen Endorses Derek Tran In CA-45

Jan

2024

PRESS RELEASE

Lt. Commander Jay Chen Endorses Derek Tran In CA-45

Garden Grove, CA — Today, Workers’ Rights Advocate, U.S. Army Veteran, Consumer Rights Attorney, City Commissioner, and Small Business Owner Derek Tran, who is running in California’s 45th Congressional District, announced the endorsement of Mt. San Antonio College Trustee and the 2022 Democratic nominee in CA-45, Lt. Commander Jay Chen. In 2022 Lt. Commander Chen came within 4 points of defeating Michelle Steel, despite being outspent 3 to 1. The DCCC has listed CA-45 as a “District in Play” for the 2024 cycle.

“I'm proud to announce my strong endorsement of Derek Tran for Congress,” said Lt. Commander Chen. “As someone who has fought Michelle Steel and her underhanded attacks, I know that Democrats need to coalesce around the strongest candidate who isn't afraid to punch back. Derek is that person: as a son of Vietnamese refugees, a workers' rights advocate, a veteran, and a father, I trust Derek to finally defeat Steel and to have our backs in Congress.”

Chen’s endorsement comes on the heels of strong poll numbers for Tran, over $500,000 raised in just three months, and a series of high-profile endorsements which include; VoteVets, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Chair of the California House Democratic Delegation, Rep. Mark Takano, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Rep. Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. A full endorsement list can be seen here.

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California’s 45th is a Congressional District representing portions of Orange and Los Angeles Counties in Southern California. A majority-minority district, the District has the second largest AAPI population (36.97%) of any Congressional District, and the largest Vietnamese community in the country. President Biden won the current district lines by +6 points and it has a +6 point Democratic registration advantage. It includes all or part of the Cities of Garden Grove, Westminster, Cerritos, Buena Park, Placentia, Hawaiian Gardens, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Artesia, Los Alamitos, La Palma, Brea, Lakewood, and Fullerton, as well as the unincorporated community of Rossmoor.

The DCCC has listed it as a “District In Play.”

Use of Derek Tran's military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Dept. of Defense or U.S. Army.