Rep. Derek Tran is sworn into Congress

New Rep. Derek Tran, D-Orange, was sworn into the House on Friday, Jan. 3, as the 119th Congress got underway.

Tran, an attorney, unseated Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in the race to represent California’s 45th congressional district, an area that spans Los Angeles and Orange counties and includes Little Saigon. He is the first Vietnamese American to represent the country’s largest concentrated Vietnamese population in Congress.

Tran was joined by his wife, Michelle Nguyen, and their three children for the day’s festivities in the nation’s capital, a spokesperson said.

“It’s the honor of my life to continue serving our country and our community in the halls of Congress,” Tran said in a social media post. “I’ll remember sharing this day with my family for as long as I live, and I can’t wait to get to work for (CA-45).”

There are 434 members of Congress — 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats — with one vacancy left by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, who did not take the oath of office for the 119th Congress. In all, California voters sent nine new members to the House this election, all Democrats.

Also on Friday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, narrowly won reelection to the speakership.