Accusations of red-baiting in OC congressional race between Michelle Steel and Derek Tran

A tight race in California's 45th Congressional District between two Asian American candidates has turned ugly with both candidates accusing each other of using red-baiting tactics.

Red-baiting is defined as attacking or persecuting someone as a Communist or as communistic. Mailers sent to voters in the Orange County district by Republican Michelle Steel's campaign attempt to link her opponent, Democrat Derek Tran, to Mao Zedong and show Tran with the Communist symbol, the hammer and sickle.

"Michelle Steel has been known for red-baiting her entire campaign and career this is something that's very disgusting," said Tran. "We're seeing xenophobic attacks by here. It's just baseless claims by someone that's losing and she's expecting to win based on that messaging. It's not going to work this time around. I am son of Vietnamese refugees who fled communist Vietnam."

Steel's campaign says red-baiting has also been used by Tran, who's campaign has referenced Wall Street Journal and Orange County Register reporting accusing Shaun Steel, Steel's husband, of bringing Chinese spies into American politics in exchange for money saying voters can't trust Steel to stand up to China.

In a statement, Steel's campaign said in part "since May, crybaby Derek Tran has leveled false and despicable attacks on Michelle Steel's family, even putting a CCP flag in his own advertising, but now sobs when our campaign accurately highlights his connections to communist china."

Steel, the incumbent is Korean American and Derek Tran is Vietnamese American, running to represent a district that is 39% Asian. The district has the largest Vietnamese population in the United States.

Republican Rep. Michelle Steel is in a difficult race for a third term representing the 45th District. Steel is up against Democrat Derek Tran, a trial lawyer and veteran who's never held elected office.

"I think I am more Vietnamese than my opponent," Steel recently told a local Vietnamese TV outlet. "My opponent might have Vietnamese name, but you know that I understand Vietnamese community and I've been working with Vietnamese-American community for last more than 30 years."

Said Tran, "This is a community that loves our country and our heritage, and for her to come in and try to court and take our votes and say she's more Vietnamese-American than a son of Vietnamese Americans, a son of refugees, that's insulting and disgraceful."

The use of anti-Asian rhetoric in this race prompted AAPI leaders to write a letter to the OC Democratic and Republican parties sharing concerns the candidates have falsely implied that candidates of Asian decent are national security threats.