A lot has changed in California’s 47th Congressional District since I first wrote about the race between incumbent Democrat Loretta Sanchez and Republican Van Tran. Having to run a real campaign for the first time in a long while, Sanchez also faces a Hispanic independent candidate on the ballot. Factor in the strong campaign that ‘Young Gun’ Tran is waging, and it all spells trouble for the incumbent this fall.
As a sign the race is slipping away from Sanchez, she recently took to the air waves and attacked the Vietnamese community, accusing them of trying to take her seat. The fact that a Member of Congress would resort to such a low tactic shows how desperate Sanchez is to cling to power. Maybe if she spent a little less time hobnobbing at the Playboy Mansion and a little more paying attention to her constituents, she could have avoided this situation – but luckily for voters looking for conservative values in their representation, she’s neglected her seat.
With polling numbers showing Tran within the margin of error of Sanchez and non-partisan political handicapper Charlie Cook moving the race from “Likely D” to “Lean D” over the summer, CA-47 is shaping up to be a headache for national Democrats on election night. Given the recent events in the district and developing position of Van Tran, you’re definitely going to want to keep an eye on this seat.
Loretta Sanchez' Vulnerability
This November, frustrated California voters will have an opportunity to put an end to the Loretta Sanchez-Nancy Pelosi agenda. After voting with her party boss almost 98 percent of the time, Sanchez has repeatedly put partisan politics over her constituents’ best interests. And in a time of high unemployment, Sanchez isn’t doing middle-class families any favors by rubber-stamping her party’s failed economic policies. As Southern California voters head to the polls this fall, they have a perfect opportunity to finally hold Pelosi puppet Loretta Sanchez accountable.
Currently represented by Democrat incumbent Loretta Sanchez, California’s 47th Congressional District covers half of Santa Ana and most of the cities of Garden Grove and Anaheim, all of which are located in Orange County. The 47th is one of the few districts in California that does not have an overwhelming majority of voters favoring one political party. George W. Bush won the district in 2004, as well as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, in recent elections the district has also supported Democratic state senators and voted for Barack Obama in 2008.
Democrat incumbent Loretta Sanchez has her work cut out for her. Sanchez has a very liberal record which will be hard to defend in a moderate district, during an anti-incumbent year when voters are tired of Democrats’ reckless spending sprees and failed economic policies. While unemployment in California has risen to 12.4%, Sanchez has made her real priority clear – consistently supporting Nancy Pelosi’s misguided healthcare bill, her party’s runaway spending spree and a failed trillion-dollar stimulus. In a midterm election that is proving to be GOP-friendly, Sanchez’s out-of-touch voting record demonstrates her failure to effectively represent her constituents and gives Republicans a prime opportunity to put this seat in the Republican column.
In contrast, Republican candidate Van Tran represents the common sense fiscally responsible policies that America needs to get back on track. Van Tran stands for limited government and cutting back spending. His priorities include lowering the national debt and creating jobs, lowering taxes on burdened Americans, supporting our troops overseas, and protecting senior citizens. The first Vietnamese-American in any state legislature, Van Tran aims to bring “character and integrity” back to Congress and protect the next generation with fiscally responsible economic policies--instead of bailouts and reckless overspending. In addition to serving in the Assembly, Van is proud of his extensive community involvement, such as his role as Vice Chairman of the Orange County-based El Capitan District of the Boy Scouts of America.
This fall, California voters can make a difference by electing Van Tran to Congress and taking back a Republican seat. I hope you will check out Tran’s website and Twitter accounts to stay informed on the latest news and updates from his campaign.