How a top House race became a fight over communism, immigration, and Asian American identity

Sat Oct 12 01:40:00 UTC 2024: ## Red-Baiting and Identity Politics: AAPI Voters Caught in the Crossfire of California’s 45th Congressional District Race

**Orange County, CA** – The battle for California’s 45th Congressional District has become a microcosm of the larger national political landscape, marked by increasingly divisive identity politics and a struggle to define what it means to be Asian American in the US.

Incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel, a Korean American, is facing off against Democrat Derek Tran, a US Army veteran and son of Vietnamese refugees. Steel won her 2022 election against Jay Chen, a Taiwanese American, employing tactics that critics called “McCarthyist” and “red-baiting,” accusing Chen of being sympathetic to China.

This year, Steel’s campaign continues to exploit anti-communist sentiment, particularly among Vietnamese Americans, by prominently displaying signs featuring the South Vietnamese flag and the slogan “Đả Đảo Cộng Sản” (“Down With Communism”). These signs have drawn ire from many in the Vietnamese community, who feel the flag is being misused for political gain.

Tran, in turn, is leaning heavily into his own anti-communist credentials, highlighting his family’s escape from communist Vietnam. However, he sparked controversy by stating that Steel’s immigration to the US for “economic gain” differs from the experiences of those who fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon.

This back-and-forth has sparked a debate about the political complexities within the AAPI community, highlighting the differences between groups like the 1975 refugees, who tend to be more liberal, and those who arrived later, who may be more “staunchly anti-communist and pro-American.”

While both candidates emphasize their families’ immigration stories, critics argue that these tactics obscure more pressing issues facing the district, such as the rising cost of living and mental health concerns.

The 45th Congressional District, once solidly Republican, is now considered a swing district, with a diverse population. The outcome of this election will have implications for the future of both national politics and the identity of Asian Americans in Orange County.

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