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CIVIC HERALD

U.S. House · CA-45

This matchup isn't final yet — primaries are still underway in this state.

An incumbent has a record; a challenger has statements. We show each what it is.

Incumbent · Has a record

Derek Tran

Representative · CA · Democrat

Stray indexpending review

Says vs. does — per issue

Firearms
1 voteanalysis
says
does+22
IP & copyright
analysis
says−50
does
Sentencing & corrections
1 voteanalysis
says
does+72
Market protections
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Corporate concentration
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Pollution & development
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Public works
4 votesanalysis
says
does0
Levels of legal immigration
1 voteanalysis
says
does+35
LGBTQ+ policy
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Federal lands & resources
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Animal protection
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Religious exemptions
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Federal vs. state/local
1 voteanalysis
says
does+45
Security vs. privacy
1 voteanalysis
says
does−15
Mandates vs. liberty
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Enforcement & security
2 votesanalysis
says
does+58
Farm policy & subsidies
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Drugs & enforcement
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Land use & zoning
2 votesanalysis
says
does−68
Renters & rent
2 votesanalysis
says
does+30
Greenhouse-gas policy
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Role of government
2 votesanalysis
says
does+23
Policing & funding
1 voteanalysis
says
does−55
Trade & tariffs
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
SNAP & nutrition
2 votesanalysis
says
does0
Aid & alliances
analysis
says−60
does
Substance use & mental health
3 votesanalysis
says
does+52
Refugee & asylum policy
1 voteanalysis
says
does+55
Regulation (cross-sector)
3 votesanalysis
says
does+11

Money — FEC

$5Mraised · 2026

Challenger · No voting record

Thomas Ky-Phong Vo

Republican · First federal run

Stated positions

  • Overall tax level · Stated

    Vo advocates for reducing taxes.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Retirement programs · Stated

    Vo supports increasing Social Security benefits.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Enforcement & security · Stated

    Vo supports securing the borders and accepting only legal immigration.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending

Stated — no voting record to compare

Money — FEC

$756.5Kraised · 2026

Challenger · No voting record

Mark Andrew Leonard

Republican · First federal run

Stated positions

  • Regulation (cross-sector) · Stated

    Mark Leonard expresses concern that overregulation hurts working families and small businesses.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending

Stated — no voting record to compare

Money — FEC

$25.9Kraised · 2026

Challenger · No voting record

Chi Charlie Nguyen

Republican · First federal run

Stated positions

  • Sentencing & corrections · Stated

    The candidate supports holding criminals accountable and keeping violent repeat offenders off the streets.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Overall tax level · Stated

    The candidate supports reducing the tax burden on working families.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Role of government · Stated

    The candidate advocates for a limited government role, prioritizing self-reliance and deregulation.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Policing & funding · Stated

    The candidate strongly supports law enforcement to maintain public safety and order.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Welfare & anti-poverty · Stated

    The candidate favors self-reliance and tools to succeed over government handouts.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Regulation (cross-sector) · Stated

    The candidate supports deregulation, cutting red tape, and eliminating rules that impact small businesses and farmers.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending

Stated — no voting record to compare

Money — FEC

$485.5Kraised · 2026

Challenger · No voting record

Amy Phan West

Republican · First federal run

Stated positions

  • Spending vs. restraint · Stated

    The candidate supports cutting wasteful government spending to address inflation.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Sentencing & corrections · Stated

    The candidate opposes soft-on-crime policies, indicating support for tougher sentencing and enforcement.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Overall tax level · Stated

    The candidate opposes tax increases on working families and supports lowering taxes for business owners.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Role of government · Stated

    The candidate opposes government overreach and advocates for limiting government power.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Policing & funding · Stated

    The candidate supports fully funding police departments, qualified immunity, and opposes defunding movements.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Firearms · Stated

    The candidate explicitly pledges to protect Second Amendment rights.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending

Stated — no voting record to compare

Money — FEC

$59.4Kraised · 2026

Challenger · No voting record

Michelle Steel

Republican · First federal run

Stated positions

No stated positions yet

This campaign hasn't published positions we could source and verify yet — we don't fill the gap with guesses.

Stated — no voting record to compare

Money — FEC

$1.3Mraised · 2026

Challenger · No voting record

Chuong Vo

Republican · First federal run

Stated positions

  • Spending vs. restraint · Stated

    Vo advocates for cutting wasteful spending, balancing budgets, and practicing fiscal responsibility.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Aid & alliances · Stated

    Vo supports assisting allies like Israel and Taiwan with technology, training, and equipment, and strengthening alliances.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Substance use & mental health · Stated

    Vo supports prioritizing mental-health and addiction treatment beds, though tied to measurable results.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Use of force · Stated

    Vo opposes putting boots on the ground in endless wars and supports keeping U.S. troops out of open-ended foreign conflicts.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Policing & funding · Stated

    Vo supports fully funding law enforcement training and equipment while implementing standards like body cameras and de-escalation training.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending
  • Levels of legal immigration · Stated

    Vo supports modernizing legal immigration and speeding up asylum and visa processing to prevent years of delay.

    Our analysis of their platformProvisional · review pending

Stated — no voting record to compare

Money — FEC

$495.8Kraised · 2026

Coverage, disclosed: the incumbent has 29 reviewed record positions to compare against; this challenger publishes 3 stated positions. We show the gap — we don’t invent density.

Provisionalunreviewed: stated positions
refreshed less than a minute ago