2026 Voter Guide | Part 1 of 8
FEDERAL: U.S.
REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. REPS ENDORSEMENTS & RECOMMENDATIONS QUICK GUIDE
Scroll down for detailed information on each candidate.
United States Representative Races
CD 23 | Tessa Lynn Hodge
CD 26 | Jacqui Irwin
CD 28 | Judy Chu
CD 29 | Angélica María Dueñas
CD 30 | Laura Friedman
CD 31 | Gil Cisneros
CD 32 | Brad Sherman
CD 34 | Angela Gonzales-Torres
CD 35 | Norma Torres
CD 36 | Ted Lieu
CD 37 | Sydney Kamlager-Dove
CD 38 | Hilda Solis
CD 42 | Robert Garcia
CD 43 | Maxine Waters
CD 44 | Nanette Barragán
CD 45 | Derek Tran
Who They Are
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives propose and vote on national laws governing everything from federal spending to immigration policy to criminal justice. California sends 52 representatives to the House, and each serves a two-year term with no term limits, so every seat is on the ballot every cycle. Under California’s top-two system, the two candidates who received the most votes in June advance to November regardless of party, which is why some races on your ballot feature two Democrats.”
What They Influence
Federal representatives hold direct power over the issues that most threaten our communities right now. They vote on budgets that fund or defund ICE, CBP, the DEA, and the federal prison system. They vote on legislation that can repeal mandatory minimum sentencing laws, restore voting rights to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, and repeal the 13th Amendment’s exception that still permits forced labor in prisons. In this moment of escalating federal immigration enforcement, mass deportation, and assaults on civil liberties, who represents us in Congress is not an abstract question. It is a matter of survival for immigrant families, unhoused residents, people caught in the carceral system, and communities that have been abandoned and criminalized by the federal government for generations
Our Vetting Criteria
Our questionnaire and research criteria focused on whether the candidate would:
- Vote for budget proposals that eliminate or reduce funding for ICE, federal prisons, and surveillance infrastructure;
- Support legislation to end mandatory minimums, restore voting rights, and repeal the forced labor exception in the 13th Amendment;
- Protect immigrant communities in their district from enforcement overreach; and
- Fight the U.S. military industrial complex and drivers of U.S. interventions abroad.
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US REPRESENTATIVE
CANDIDATE
PROFILES
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 23
Tessa Lynn Hodge
👍 Recommended
Covers parts of San Bernardino County (High Desert/Inland Empire), Kern County (portions of the eastern high desert region), and the small northern desert portions of Los Angeles County.
D
Member of the CA State Assembly (District 42)
Hodge is endorsed by the California Democratic Party, California Young Democrats, San Bernardino County Young Democrats, Teamsters Local 1932, and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1167.
Tessa Lynn Hodge is a licensed social worker and lifelong High Desert resident from an Air Force family. Her priorities include healthcare affordability, livable wages, housing costs for homeowners and renters, immigration reform, environmental justice, mental health access, education, and veterans’ rights. She supports LGBTQ+ rights and has publicly stated that Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza.
La Defensa recommends Tessa Lynn Hodge for CD-23. Hodge is a strong progressive voice for the High Desert, with clear positions on Palestinian statehood and on prioritizing care services for the district. Public safety is not a prominent part of her campaign materials. On immigration, she supports “common-sense immigration reforms that restore humanity and fairness to our system.” She has also raised concerns about the current administration’s foreign policy and the risk of the U.S. alienating its allies.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 26
Jacqui Irwin
⚠️ Harm Reduction
Covers Ventura + Northwest LA County, including Calabasas, Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, and Quartz Hill.
D
Member of the CA State Assembly (District 42)
Irwin is endorsed by Gavin Newsom, CA Senator Alex Padilla, LA Board of Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, SEIU California, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association” Change to: “Irwin is endorsed by Governor Gavin Newsom, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, SEIU California, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association.
Jacqui Irwin began her political career in Thousand Oaks in 2004 and served two terms as mayor. In 2014, she was elected to represent California’s 44th Assembly District (now AD-42) and has served as an Assemblymember since. In the Assembly, she has passed legislation to create tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities, increase the cybersecurity of state agencies, and remove barriers for military service members seeking mental health services. Irwin has also focused on environmental issues, including expanding the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, promoting renewable energy resources, and leading efforts to utilize the local brine line to bring purified water to local farmers.
Jacqui Irwin is a harm reduction vote for this seat because of her status quo stance on public safety, which relies heavily on supporting and funding law enforcement. She helped pass AB 1779 which allows prosecutors to consolidate theft charges and related offenses that occurred in different counties into a single case. She also helped law enforcement secure $13 million “for local law enforcement to remove guns from violent felons who are prohibited from possessing firearms.” She has opposed progressive policies regarding diversion and reentry such as AB 1231 which would allow and encourage judges to prioritize diversion programs instead of incarceration and AB 704 which would allow someone convicted of a low-level offense before the age of 26 an opportunity to have their record sealed or destroyed so they could access jobs, housing, and other social benefits.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 28
Judy Chu
⚠️ Harm Reduction
Covers Pasadena, Alhambra, Arcadia, San Gabriel Valley
D(Incumbent)
United States Representative
Chu is endorsed by Pasadena Police Officers Association, Monterey Park Firefighters, Arcadia Firefighters Association Local 3440, Stonewall Democratic Club, and United Farm Workers. She has received more than $165,193 from AIPAC and aligned donors.
In 1985, Chu was elected to the Board of Education for the Garvey School District. She served three terms as Mayor of Monterey Park. Later, she was elected to the State Assembly and California’s State Board of Equalization. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2009, she was the first Chinese American woman to be elected to Congress. From 2011 to 2025, Chu served as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. During this time, she led a Tri-Caucus that included the Congressional Black and Hispanic Caucuses. She currently serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Budget Committee.
Judy Chu is the harm reduction vote for this seat over Republican candidate April Verlato. Chu has championed efforts to combat union busting and expand worker protections federally. She has co-sponsored H.R. 8525, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and is working towards non-violent approaches to public safety. Chu wants to find ways to reduce juvenile crime rates, stating, “I support policies that will shift our country away from the ineffective policies of punishment and incarceration, and towards proposals devoted to prevention and intervention.” In 2023, she secured $1.5 million for the San Gabriel Valley Mobile Crisis Program, and believes in police reform to increase accountability.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 29
Angélica María Dueñas
👍 Recommended
Covers the Arleta, Pacoima, parts of Burbank, and Sylmar area.
D
Mother/Community Organizer
Dueñas is endorsed by Track AIPAC, Progressive Voter Network, Courage for Democracy, Feel the Bern SFV, and Organize for Peace. She does not accept AIPAC money or any PAC funds.
Angélica María Dueñas is a mother of five, an activist, and a community organizer born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Organizational Leadership. In 2016, she served as a delegate for Senator Bernie Sanders. Her campaign is explicitly accountable to the working class rather than corporate interests.
La Defensa recommends Angélica María Dueñas over incumbent Luz Maria Rivas for CD-29. Dueñas is clear about her position on reforming policing and does not accept corporate donations. She highlights the importance of listening directly to the people and is willing to challenge corporations, ICE, AIPAC, and the current justice system. Dueñas supports abolishing ICE and prosecuting ICE officers for misconduct. She has called for an end to the genocide in Palestine. On criminal justice, she champions demilitarizing police, boosting accountability, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, banning private prisons, eliminating mandatory minimums, and reforming use-of-force laws.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 30
LAURA FRIEDMAN
⚠️ Harm Reduction
Covers the Glendale, parts of Burbank, Studio City, and Sherman Oaks area.
D
Member, US House of Representatives
Friedman is endorsed by the California Democratic Party, California Young Democrats, Abundant Housing Los Angeles, the California Federation of Labor Unions, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She has received contributions from AIPAC and J Street PAC. As of September 23, 2026, she has received no law enforcement contributions.
Laura Friedman served on the Glendale City Council from 2009 to 2016 and as Mayor of Glendale from 2011 to 2012. From 2016 to 2024, she served as a member of the California State Assembly, and in 2024 she was elected as the U.S. Representative for District 30. Friedman is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and currently serves on the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and on Science, Space, and Technology.
Laura Friedman is the harm reduction vote for this seat. Friedman lacks a strong public safety platform, but unlike her opponent, Scott Alan Meyers, she does not take a tough-on-crime approach. Meyers supports strengthening border security, is against sanctuary policies and strongly believes Democrats are “too soft on crime.” Friedman is more focused on affordable and universal healthcare, strengthening financial security for families, and protecting Democratic values. She co-sponsored H.Res. 543, which affirms the right to peacefully protest and condemns violence and authoritarian responses to dissent. She also co-sponsored two bills targeting ICE: H.R. 7346, the Drain ICE Act of 2026, and H.R. 7284, the ICE OUT Act.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 31
Gil Cisneros
⚠️ Harm Reduction
Covers the San Gabriel Valley
D(Incumbent)
U.S. Congressman
Cisneros is endorsed by the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS). He has received more than $121,553 from AIPAC and aligned donors.
Gil Cisneros is the incumbent representative for CD-31 and has held the seat since January 2025. He previously served as the representative for the 39th Congressional District from 2019 to 2021. Cisneros enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1989 after high school and was commissioned as an officer in 1994. During his earlier congressional tenure, he served on the Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs Committees and was a strong advocate for service members and veterans. President Biden appointed him Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and in 2022, the Pentagon appointed him as its Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
Gil Cisneros is the harm reduction vote for this seat because he does not publicly state a position on policing reform and he is endorsed by ALADS. However, he has taken steps to protect his district from ICE raids by publicizing resources available to all immigrants, regardless of status. He describes himself as an advocate for immigrant families and has worked to keep the public informed of their rights.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 32
BRAD SHERMAN
⚠️ Harm Reduction
“Covers the Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Bel Air, Canoga Park, Northridge, and Granada Hills area.
D
United States Congressman/Dad
Sherman is endorsed by United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, Democratic Majority for Israel, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. He has received contributions from AIPAC. As of September 23, 2026, he has not received contributions from law enforcement.
Brad Sherman has served fifteen terms in Congress and is the incumbent representative for CD-32. He serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Financial Services Committee. Sherman was among the legislative leaders who helped shape and establish the formation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In Congress, he focuses on increasing federal aid for education, creating real healthcare reform, and protecting Social Security and Medicare. Sherman strongly supports strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship, and through the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he has worked to ensure bipartisan, ironclad support for Israel.
Brad Sherman is the harm reduction vote for this seat because he is endorsed by the LA Deputy Sheriffs and has received AIPAC contributions. His opponent, Larry Thompson, takes a “tough on crime” approach, and both candidates fully support the police. During his time in Congress, Sherman has worked on bipartisan bills to prevent gun violence, including the Assault Weapons Ban, the Background Checks Act, and the Enhanced Background Checks Act. He also co-sponsored the National Gun Violence Research Act.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 34
Angela Gonzales-Torres
👍 Recommended
Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Mount Washington, Lincoln Heights, Montecito Heights, Chinatown, Boyle Heights, Westlake, Koreatown, and parts of Downtown LA.
D
Advocate for Justice
Gonzales-Torres is endorsed by LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia, Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party, CAIR Action, IfNotNow, and the Korean American Democratic Committee. She does not accept donations from corporations or PACs, including AIPAC.
Angela Gonzales-Torres is a Highland Park native whose family is generations-deep in Northeast Los Angeles. Raised by a single mother after her father was deported, she is a product of LAUSD, community college, and UCLA, where she studied Chicano Studies and Anthropology. She has served as President of the Highland Park Neighborhood Council, worked in the LA Mayor’s Office, and sat on Metro’s Public Safety Advisory Committee. She has organized with Inner City Struggle, Project Rebound, the Recidivism Coalition, IMPACT Drug Treatment Center, and organizations supporting people transitioning from incarceration into higher education. She ran for this same seat in 2024, receiving 44% of the vote.
La Defensa recommends Angela Gonzales-Torres over incumbent Jimmy Gomez for CD-34. Gonzales-Torres frames her campaign around housing justice, immigration reform, and education equity, with criminal justice reform central to each. She opposes federal budget proposals that increase funding for ICE, CBP, the DEA, or federal prisons. She would instead champion investments in housing, healthcare, education, mental health services, and community-based violence prevention in partnership with organizations like the East LA Women’s Center and Homegirl Cafe. She opposes mandatory minimum sentencing laws and supports repealing them in her first term, viewing early momentum as critical to advancing the issue. She supports amending the 13th Amendment to eliminate the forced labor exception and ensure fair wages for incarcerated workers. She would co-sponsor the Democracy Restoration Act and support broader voting rights bills, including those covering currently incarcerated people. On immigration, she supports abolishing ICE, protecting DACA and TPS holders, and creating a clear pathway to citizenship. She would strengthen sanctuary protections, prohibit cooperation between local agencies and ICE, and specifically oppose further development of data centers that could enable surveillance of immigrant communities. On police accountability, she supports reforming qualified immunity, federal oversight of local law enforcement, banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, and advancing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. She supports ending the U.S. policy of blank checks for foreign military intervention, including an immediate ceasefire and an arms embargo on Israel.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 35
Norma Torres
⚠️ Harm Reduction
Covers Bloomington, Chino, Chino Hills, Claremont, Corona, Eastvale, Fontana, Montclair, Norco, Ontario, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland.
D(Incumbent)
U.S. Representative
Torres is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the California Democratic Party, SEIU, and the California Federation of Labor Unions. She has received several donations from AIPAC and from defense and warfare corporations this campaign cycle, including at least $835,569 from AIPAC and aligned donors.
Norma Torres is a mom, grandma, and “community servant dedicated to working families in the Inland Empire.” Torres has family members who serve or have served in the military and/or law enforcement, and she herself was formerly a 911 dispatcher.
Norma Torres is the harm reduction vote for this seat because she believes police accountability measures should be implemented, whereas her opponent does not. Public safety is not among Torres’s top nine policy priorities: transportation, health care, veterans, students, climate change, immigration, seniors, housing, and women’s rights. Torres is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations and has introduced legislation to “direct resources to training facilities for local law enforcement agencies.” She introduced the Fairness to Freedom Act to ensure access to legal representation for immigrants during immigration court hearings. She also supports gun violence prevention and has voted for further technological advancement for first responders.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 36
Ted Lieu
⚠️ Harm Reduction
Covers much of western Los Angeles County along the Pacific Coast, West Los Angeles and the South Bay and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
D(Incumbent)
U.S. Representative, 36th District
Lieu has received several notable endorsements, including the California Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the California Federation of Labor Unions, and Democrats for Israel Los Angeles. He has received small but notable donations from AIPAC and BlackRock PAC. As of September 23, 2026, he has received no notable donations from law enforcement associations.
Ted Lieu is currently serving his sixth term in Congress and sits on the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees. He is a veteran who served in both the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Reserve. He began his political career in 2002 as a councilmember for the City of Torrance and served terms in both the California State Assembly and State Senate before moving on to the U.S. House of Representatives. Lieu considers himself a leader on artificial intelligence, the environment, foreign affairs, and veterans’ issues. He has a proven track record of voting generally in alignment with the values of the Democratic Party. He strongly believes in meaningful bipartisan AI safeguards, as shown by his introduction of the AI Kill Switch Act. He is also a strong proponent of more effective government oversight, has introduced legislation to reduce the harm of climate change, and publicly opposes discrimination against ethnic and LGBTQ+ communities.
Ted Lieu is the harm reduction vote for this seat. His opponent, Republican challenger Houston Brignano, strongly advocates integrating AI to reshape working industries, weakening safeguards against private equity and tech, and restrictive immigration policy. Lieu’s public safety platform highlights his opposition to excessive force and his belief in a balance between law enforcement tools and the protection of civil liberties. In line with this, he co-introduced the Facial Recognition Act, which would regulate law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology. In 2024, Lieu announced that five cities in CD-36 would receive over $417,000 in community safety and justice grants from the Department of Justice, intended for initiatives that support local law enforcement, such as technology and vehicle upgrades.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 37
Sydney Kamlager-Dove
👍 Recommended
Culver City, Ladera Heights, View Park-Windsor Hills, West Adams, Historical South Central
D
U.S. Representative, 37th District (Incumbent)
Kamlager-Dove is endorsed by the California Young Democrats, the California Federation of Labor Unions, the Sierra Club (National and Los Angeles Chapter), and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She has received more than $154,218 from AIPAC and aligned donors.
Sydney Kamlager-Dove is the incumbent representative for CD-37. She is currently a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on the Judiciary, Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Policy Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus. Prior to Congress, she worked to advance job creation and public arts programs with the community-uplifting nonprofits Rebuild LA and the Los Angeles Festival.
La Defensa recommends Sydney Kamlager-Dove for CD-37. Kamlager-Dove has led the federal push to support increased pay, workplace protections, and opportunities for incarcerated firefighters. In the California Legislature, she authored AB 118, the C.R.I.S.E.S. Act, which was signed into law and invested in community-based, unarmed crisis response for Californians who need emergency intervention, such as people experiencing homelessness, a mental health crisis, or intimate partner violence. She also worked to reduce prison sentences for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. She has actively supported the Fresh Start Act, which provides rehabilitative services and resources to formerly incarcerated people, and she introduced the Street Medicine Act to help people experiencing homelessness access medical care. Kamlager-Dove also authored the California Abolition Act to end slavery and involuntary servitude. In 2021, she amended California Penal Code section 817 through AB 127, which allows prosecutors to circumvent law enforcement when seeking an arrest warrant for a police officer involved in misconduct.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 38
Hilda Solis
👍 Recommended
Cities and unincorporated communities in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, including Diamond Bar, La Habra, La Habra Heights, Hacienda Heights, La Mirada, Los Nietos, Norwalk, Montebello, Pico Rivera, Rowland Heights, Santa Fe Springs, South Whittier, Walnut, Whittier, and parts of Downey and Industry.
D
County Supervisor
Solis is endorsed by various labor unions and political groups, including the California Democratic Party and California Young Democrats, as well as the Jane Fonda Climate PAC.
Hilda Solis is a current LA County Supervisor and a veteran politician whose district spans from East Los Angeles through the San Gabriel Valley. She has been a longstanding ally of La Defensa and our organizational priorities. Prior to her role as Supervisor, Solis served as U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Obama and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she was known as a champion of workers’ rights and environmental justice.
La Defensa recommends Hilda Solis for CD-38. Solis has a demonstrated track record of supporting alternatives to incarceration and reducing harm at the county level. She has been a key supporter of the Care First, Jails Last initiative and advocates for a survivor-centered approach to community safety and violence reduction. Solis has also championed closing and demolishing Men’s Central Jail and supported removing financial barriers, including cash bail, for people who are incarcerated and awaiting trial.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 42
Robert Garcia
⚠️ Harm Reduction
Long Beach, Signal Hill
D(Incumbent)
United States Congressman
Garcia is endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, Equality PAC, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and Sierra Club. Garcia receives contributions from special interest groups, including more than $227,339 from AIPAC and aligned donors, as well as from “Don’t Mess with Texas” PAC, and the PAC for the Target Corporation.
Robert Garcia is the incumbent representative for CD-42, a career educator, and a former mayor of Long Beach. He is the first openly LGBTQ+ immigrant elected to Congress. Garcia has described popular culture, including comic books, as instrumental in his learning to read and write English as an immigrant, and he founded the Congressional Popular Arts Caucus to celebrate the economic and cultural contributions of the arts.
Robert Garcia is the harm reduction vote for this seat over Republican challenger Brian Burley. Garcia has proven to be a moderate Democrat in Congress, but compared to his conservative opponent in this race, he remains the stronger option on both civil rights and community safety. He has acknowledged the need to address systemic racism within government institutions, is a strong supporter of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and is committed to ending voter suppression.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 43
Maxine Waters
👍 Recommended
Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena
D(Incumbent)
United States Congresswoman
Waters does not receive AIPAC funding but does receive funding from major corporate PACs, including the insurance industry, BlackRock Funds Services Group LLC PAC, Walmart Inc. PAC, and The Home Depot Inc. PAC. She is endorsed by Equality California, Progressive Voters Network, and the LA County Young Democrats.
Maxine Waters is one of the longest-serving members of Congress and a prominent national Democratic leader. She has represented communities in the Los Angeles area since 1991 and has been engaged with the Democratic National Committee since 1980. She is currently in her 18th term. Over her decades-long career, she has been a consistent voice for racial justice, economic equity, and community investment. Notably, Waters does not have a functional campaign website, and her campaign’s X account has not been active since November 5, 2020.
La Defensa recommends Maxine Waters for CD-43. Waters has been a consistent advocate for criminal justice reform throughout her congressional career. She supports accountability for police brutality and has championed independent oversight of law enforcement. She supports less punitive approaches to low-level drug offenses and has pushed for legislation focused on rehabilitation and community investment over incarceration.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 44
NANETTE BARRAGÁN
⚠️ Harm Reduction
Compton, Carson, San Pedro, Watts
D(Incumbent)
U.S. Representative, 44th District
Barragán is endorsed by the Latino Victory Fund, California Democratic Party, and Democrats for Israel. Barragán received more than $94,404 from AIPAC and aligned donors.
Nanette Barragán was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016. She began her career in public service in the 1990s and later served on the Hermosa Beach City Council. Barragán is a licensed attorney and a longstanding advocate for environmental justice, representing a district that includes Compton, Carson, San Pedro, and Watts.
Nanette Barragán is the harm reduction vote for this seat over Republican challenger Genevieve Angel. Barragán has a track record of voting more progressively than many of her congressional colleagues and is an active advocate for her constituents. She has been a vocal champion of gun violence prevention, supporting closure of loopholes in the national firearm background check system, banning devices that convert semi-automatic weapons to automatic fire, and lifting the congressional prohibition on gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control. She has also supported legislation to expand access to legal representation for immigrants in immigration court proceedings. On her congressional website, Barragán highlights gun violence as central to her approach to creating safer communities, stating: “America is suffering from an epidemic of gun violence, and California’s 44th District is one of the communities most profoundly affected. Many in Congress seem satisfied offering thoughts and prayers and holding moments of silence instead of actually doing something. I will not be silent. Congress must take all reasonable steps to both understand gun violence in America and examine the changes necessary to deter future threats. I support legislation to eliminate the prohibition on gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control. It’s unconscionable that the agency has been effectively barred by Congress from researching injuries and deaths related to firearms. I also support closing loopholes in the national firearm background check system, and banning devices that turn a semi-automatic rifle into a machine gun, like we saw in the horrific shooting in Las Vegas.”
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 45
Derek Tran
⚠️ Harm Reduction
Artesia, Cerritos, Los Alamitos
D(Incumbent)
Representative/Business Owner
Tran is endorsed by the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs. He has received more than $619,779 from AIPAC and aligned donors.
Derek Tran is the son of parents who fled Vietnam and is a U.S. Army Reserve veteran. Tran practiced law prior to entering politics and worked on public safety policy for the Mayor of Los Angeles.
Derek Tran is the harm reduction vote for this seat because his opponent strongly advocates for a more punitive public safety approach. Tran is a moderate Democrat who generally supports increased law enforcement and working with law enforcement, and he does not have a strong public record on criminal justice reform or decarceration. His campaign website lists reforms to gun laws, such as universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons, as well as putting “more police on the streets to crack down on rising crime and put dangerous criminals in prison.” Tran also states that he has “fought for more investments in violence prevention and rehabilitation programs to address the root causes of crime.”