Democratic challenger Derek Tran added 26 votes to his narrow lead over Republican Rep. Michelle Steel Saturday to move 545 votes ahead in the 45th Congressional District race.
Tran entered Saturday’s resumption of counting previously unprocessed ballots with a 519-vote lead. The consumer rights attorney and co-owner of a pharmacy with his wife, Michelle, leads 157,427-156,882, 50.1% to 49.9%, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Tran trails in the Orange County portion of the district, 142,060-138,391, 50.7%-49.3%, but leads in the Los Angeles County portion — Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens and a portion of Lakewood — 19,036-14,822, 56.2%-43.8%.
No ballots in the Los Angeles County portion of the district were counted Saturday.
Tran led by 480 votes entering Friday’s resumption of counting, 397 votes entering Thursday’s, 314 entering Wednesday’s and 102 entering Tuesday’s. He took his first lead over the two-term incumbent last Saturday, moving ahead by 36 votes after trailing by 11,363 Nov. 6, the day after the election.
Tran trailed by 7,590 votes Nov. 8; 6,901 Nov. 9; 6,128 Nov. 10 when only ballots from the Los Angeles County portion of the district were counted; 3,908 Nov. 11; 2,227 Nov. 12; 349 Nov. 13; 236 Nov. 14; and 58 Nov. 15.
It is not known how many ballots remain to be counted.