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Assemblyman Van Tran Exploring Run for Congress against Loretta Sanchez

Race would be most competitive congressional in California-Independent DC newspaper Politico asks “Is Van Tran the GOP’s future?”

GARDEN GROVE, CA– Today, Assemblyman Van Tran opened a Congressional Campaign Committee to explore a run for Congress against Loretta Sanchez.

“I’m deeply concerned about our economy. California’s unemployment is up 33% in the past five months, but we’re not seeing solutions in Washington,” Assemblyman Tran stated. “If I run for Congress, my first priority will be passing meaningful economic reforms to create more jobs and get Californians working.”

Tran has spent most of his time in the Assembly promoting economic policies that create jobs. He has authored legislation to expand Enterprise Zones and successfully passed legislation to implement a 40-hour work week, an important measure to make it easier to create jobs in California.
Loretta Sanchez represents Congressional District 47, which has been won by Republicans repeatedly this decade. President Bush carried it in 2004 and Governor Schwarzenegger carried it in 2006 by over 13%. Additionally, this district has a large number of Vietnamese residents, which benefits the Saigon-born Tran.

National Republicans believe this is a winnable district. In fact, this April the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) paid for telephone messages challenging Congresswoman Sanchez’s support for reckless spending and a massive budget deficit. On April 13, renowned political analyst Stuart Rothenberg reported in the DC publication Roll Callthat “GOP insiders” cited a possible Tran candidacy as a race that would instantly bolster Republican campaign efforts.

“I’ve been working on recruitment, and this is one of the top people I’ve gone after since the very beginning,” Congressman McCarthy told Politico. “Tran transcends Republican politics, and he will be able to reach out to independents and moderate Democrats.”

Tran has been a fixture in Orange County for over a decade. He was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2004. His district is 100% within Orange County and he represents the cities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Newport Beach, Stanton and Westminster. Prior to serving in the Assembly, Tran was managing partner of his own law practice. He served on the Garden Grove Planning Commission, and served as Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem of Garden Grove, where he won the most votes in the history of a city’s council election.