USA: Vietnamese and Latino voters set to square off in an ethically charged congressional election in California

Record ID: 327111

  • Title: USA: Vietnamese and Latino voters set to square off in an ethically charged congressional election in California
  • Date: 27th October 2010
  • Summary: ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) SUPPORTERS ARRIVING TO ATTEND A CAMPAIGN APPEARANCE OF DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE LORETTA SANCHEZ SANCHEZ GREETING AND CHATTING WITH SUPPORTERS SANCHEZ POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPH WITH SUPPORTERS SANCHEZ WALKING ALONG STREET AS SHE CAMPAIGNS DOOR-TO-DOOR IN RESIDENTIAL AREA SANCHEZ SPEAKING WITH RESIDENT SANCHEZ P
  • Embargoed: 11th November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABV4W645HS4DROVUC3SB0RDLRV
  • Story Text: Across the United States, the burning issue in most congressional districts this midterm election is either the state of the economy, or immigration policy, or perhaps excesses in government spending. In the 47th congressional district of California, however, the election this year is all about race.
    The Democratic incumbent, Representative Loretta Sanchez, has held her seat for 13 years, in no small part due to her overwhelming popularity among the sizable Latino population in Orange County. By all accounts, she is an energetic campaigner as she travels door-to-door to greet potential voters in a district formed from clusters of small homes surrounding Disneyland, but which has grown exponentially in recent years on the back of Latino and Asian immigration.
    During the past several elections, the Latino population in the California 47th has reliably voted Democratic. The ever increasing Vietnamese population there has tended toward the Republican side of the ticket.
    Sanchez has been widely criticized for remarks to a television interviewer in early September in which she said the "Vietnamese and the Republicans" in her district were "trying to take away" her House seat after "we have done so much for our community."
    Those comments incensed the Vietnamese population of Orange County, one of the country's oldest and largest Vietnamese communities.
    Supporters of Sanchez have downplayed her remarks as an minor irritation in a race with more critical issues to be decided by the voters.
    "Many things are in the mailbox from candidates, that 'he said' and 'she said' stuff. A lot of dirty politicking, I don't like to vote that way. I want to vote in a clean way and focus on the issues that are really affecting my community," said Anthony Revollar, who plans to vote for Sanchez.
    "I don't exactly agree with everything that Sanchez does overall, but I personally agree more with the things she votes for," said Andrew Banderas, another Sanchez supporter.
    Sanchez' Republican opponent, Van Tran, a Vietnamese American, has capitalized on her remarks to generate the support needed to place himself nearly even with Sanchez in pre-election polling.
    As Van Tran's campaign has run repeated campaign advertisements featuring Sanchez's television interview, Sanchez has launched a damage control campaign, suggesting in her own campaign advertisements that she is a pioneering supporter of Vietnamese rights.
    "I love the Vietnamese community," Sanchez said. "My dad always said that, you know, actions speak louder than words, and the actions have been that they came to me 14 years ago. We've had a great relationship; we continue to. I continue to fight, not only for their issues with respect to Vietnam, where, as you know, I've gone to Vietnam three times and my opponent hasn't even gone."
    Apart from his demographic supporters in the Vietnamese community, the high powers of the national Republican Party have rallied around the Van Tran campaign, identifying the 47th district of California as a Democratic seat which might be vulnerable to an anticipated Republican takeover of the U.S. House of Republicans. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and other party heavy-hitters have campaigned on behalf of Tran.
    "I have more in common, as a first generation immigrant, than my opponent does," Tran said,. "And I understand the aspirations and the challenges of assimilation to try to bring forth a life of dignity and living the American dream or contributing back to this country."
    For the Vietnamese community in Orange County, even apart from the brouhaha over Sanchez' impolitic remarks, this race represents the chance at last for a seat at America's political table.
    "It's very important to have someone who knows what the Vietnamese people want and need and to have a voice in government," said Trang Hoang, a supporter of Van Tran.
    "My family and I need a future, and Van Tran is a great guy, and he is the one who can provide it for us," said Vivian Le, another Tran supporter.
    A candidate's appeal to their common ethnic heritage with targeted voters is a form of rhetoric familiar to political campaigns since time immemorial. This year, in the California 47th, the election will likely be decided on whether Latino voters or Vietnamese voters more assuredly identify Loretta Sanchez or Van Tran as one of their own.
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