ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — A historic election turnout that saw a rebuke of President Donald Trump has also hurt a once healthy Democratic lead in the House of Representatives.
Michelle Steel is one of those new Republicans heading to D.C., ousting centrist Democrat Harley Rouda in a close-fought race.
Steel took California’s 48th Congressional District with heavy, national GOP support even as Democrat Joe Biden won the county handily. Her win comes as COVID-19 cases rocket upward with fall rapidly turning to winter and ongoing battles between party leaders.
While Democrats clinched a House majority Tuesday, the victory is a sharp turn for Orange County, which went blue in 2018 for the first time. Each candidate drew in more than $5.5 million in contributions for a competitive district with a registration edge for Republicans.
It may not be the end of their losses. Young Kim holds a slim lead over Gil Cisneros in what would further purple over a county Democrats believed was theirs.
The steady erosion of Democrat’s power in the House further complicates an already tense negotiating climate. The parties have been at odds over a COVID-19 relief bill as states continue to count ballots and clarify how many seats each side of the aisle will possess.
In a statement after her victory, Steel repeated her campaign messages of low taxes and an urgent need for businesses to reopen:
"To the voters of Orange County, thank you for entrusting me to be your representative in Congress. In this election, you weren’t simply voting for a person, but also for the idea that the American Dream is alive and well in Orange County. This vote showed that minorities who may look or speak differently than most not only have a place in this Republican Party but can be elected to the United States Congress."
Steel’s elevation to the House represents an infusion of diversity for a party accused of lacking it. Democrats have regularly aimed aggressive accusations of racism and xenophobia toward Trump and his policies.
Michael Peterson of UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs noted that chances of legislation passing anytime soon look grim.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of legislative action," said Peterson. "It will be very problematic. This is a deeply divided country right now, and it has for years been both deeply divided and evenly divided.”
Steel’s win is a major victory for national Republicans but has left a vacuum on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Democrats have already floated successors they hope to back for the special election to fill Steel’s 2nd District seat.
The Democratic Party of Orange County has floated Katrina Foley as a possible candidate. The just-reelected mayor of Costa Mesa has a long political and administrative history in the county and retook her seat decisively.
Rouda delivered a garden variety concession statement but suggested he’d be back to challenge Steel in 2022:
"We are not Republicans. We are not Democrats. We are not enemies. We are Americans. All of us. Even when we disagree. And we ought to have a political system that is built on facts, rewards honesty, and strengthens the bonds that tie us to each other, rather than ripping them to shreds."