Orange County's 45th Congressional District, home to Michelle Steel and Derek Tran, is one of the most competitive districts in the region

ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) — Orange County's 45th Congressional District election is one of the most competitive in the region and one of a few that could change the balance of power in the House.

The battle between Republican incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel and Democratic challenger Derek Tran also features the highest independent spending among competitive races in the region, leading to heavy television advertising rotation.

Steel spent part of Monday at her Buena Park headquarters, making calls on the phone bank and thanking volunteers.

“I would like to thank all of my volunteers here. We have over 400 volunteers,” Steel said. “We hit over 215,000 homes.”

Tran, a litigator and veteran, argues that it is time for someone with a Vietnamese background to represent the Little Saigon region of Orange County. He spent part of Monday knocking on doors. In an interview with Eyewitness News, he attempted to link Steel to a former colleague of hers, former supervisor Andrew Do, who resigned his position and agreed to plead guilty to corruption charges.

“I am not part of this corrupt institution run by Michelle Steel and Andrew Do,” Trans said. “They sat on the board together. They served as chair and vice chair respectively and voted against transparency laws when it came to COVID funding.”

Tran referred to allegations in an LAist article published last week that said Steel sent $1.2 million in taxpayer money to her campaign printer in 2020, when she was county executive, to benefit seniors in her district to offer dinner. However, the company commissioned had no experience with such work and was awarded the contract without a public vote or tender.

The 45th Congressional seat comes with a high price. The independent PAC's $34 million in spending on the two candidates is the highest among competitive races in the region, according to the nonprofit OpenSecrets.

According to the registrar, voter turnout in Orange County has already exceeded 46% due to early voting.