Going up against a 12-term California GOP Rep. Ed Royce is a tough battle for anyone not alone a political novice. But a Magna Cum Laude Harvard graduate and a Wall Street analyst-turned medical doctor, Mai Khanh Tran is taking on a challenge.
The district covers northern Orange County, eastern LA County and part of San Bernardino County (including cities like Diamond Bar, Chino Hills, Fullerton and Yorba Linda). Ethnic diversity is becoming a reality for this once Republican bastion with 50% of the population is Latinos and Asians. Royce's district has a 1.7% point Republican edge in voter registration.
Ed Royce is an active politician and has built a strong relationship with his ethnic voters and he is considered to be one of the more effective lawmakers in the US Congress.
Tran's main reason to against him so far is his close tie to Donald Trump and his voting against the national health care that will result in about 25 millions American without health insurance coverage.
Running in an expensive media market against a well known incumbent who has a war chest of over $3 million, Tran will have a difficult time unless she can make a strong case for herself or Donald Trump implodes catastrophically and rile up the Democratic voting bloc.
