LOS ANGELES — In California’s 47th District, the upcoming congressional election could flip the House, making it one of the most closely watched races of 2024.

Immigration and border security are key issues here, with GOP candidate Scott Baugh and Democrat Dave Min offering starkly different approaches.

What You Need To Know

  • California’s 47th District is one of the most closely watched in the 2024 election, with the potential to flip the House

  • Scott Baugh: Orange County GOP chair and congressional candidate focuses on border security and reducing immigration

  • Dave Min: State senator and first-generation Korean American, Min supports a bipartisan approach to immigration reform and border management

  • Election Day: Voters in the 47th District will head to the polls on Nov. 5, with immigration and border security as key issues
 

University of California, Irvine senior and economics major Heriberto Mendez has attended a classroom meeting every Tuesday for the last two years. He leads the UC Irvine College Republicans.

“I think it’s important for anyone to get involved,” Mendez said. “If you’re not involved, you don’t have the right to complain, nor should you.”

A first-generation American with parents from Mexico and Honduras, immigration is one of Mendez’s top issues this election.

“I think that we should have a lot less immigration, especially illegal immigration, because it’s overwhelming the welfare systems of many states and cities,” Mendez said.

His views align with those of Orange County GOP chair Scott Baugh, who is running for Congress in the district.

“We don’t want drug traffickers, sex traffickers, and we certainly don’t want terrorists,” Baugh said. “An open border, which is what the president supports, brings these problems into our country.”

A National Institute of Justice study found undocumented immigrants are arrested for violent and drug crimes at less than half the rate of U.S.-born citizens.

Baugh’s opponent, State Sen. Dave Min, a first-generation Korean American, said the bipartisan border agreement could have helped reduce migrant influx at the border.

“I was disappointed when House Republicans, led by Mike Johnson and at the behest of Donald Trump, tanked the bipartisan border deal,” Min said. “You can’t just snap your fingers to solve the border crisis.”

UC Irvine senior Antoine Mbok, who immigrated to the U.S. from Cameroon in 2024, is nonpartisan. He supports border security, but believes in accepting immigrants.

“I believe we should have a way for people who need to come in through the asylum process,” Mbok said.

He says he attends this Republican meeting to broaden his perspective. “If you listen to both sides, it helps you understand where people are coming from,” Mbok said. “We can reach a consensus, or at least a compromise.”

With immigration a deeply personal topic, each vote cast will be significant in this closely contested race.