California - 47th District
Incumbent --
Loretta Sanchez (D)
; Running for re-election
Leans Democratic
Updated Oct. 14, 2010
Things were going relatively smoothly for Sanchez until late September, when she said in a national Spanish-language interview that "the Vietnamese and the Republicans are, with an intensity, trying to take this seat." She also called her Republican opponent, Assemblyman Van Tran, who is an immigrant, "anti-immigrant."
The move instantly brought attention to the race and gave Tran a fundraising tool in an effort to at least be in the same ballpark as the well-funded incumbent. In a twist, the flap could also help Sanchez get voters to the polls -- an issue she mentioned during the same interview.
Sanchez is still favored to win, but her comments certainly made the race more interesting. Tran is a National Republican Congressional Committee Young Gun, but in the expensive Los Angeles media market, he's not expecting any help on the TV airwaves.
District Information
District Profile from Politics in America
An inland chunk of Orange County full of older suburban homes and younger families, the Hispanic-majority 47th is unlike its mostly affluent, Republican neighbors in the county. Located roughly 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles, it takes in parts of four cities: Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove and Fullerton. A growing number of Hispanics, Vietnamese and other ethnic minorities are changing the demographics here and creating a strong Democratic base.
More than 40 percent of the district's population is in Santa Ana (the Orange County seat), where the blue-collar workforce is more vulnerable to unemployment than surrounding areas. Aerospace subcontractors and small businesses are scattered throughout the district, but apart from Disneyland in Anaheim, no single employer drives the area's economy. The 47th's part of Anaheim is home to baseball's Angels and hockey's Ducks, and local officials have approved plans that would lure basketball's Sacramento Kings to the city. Biomedical and information technology jobs broaden the economic base in the 47th.
Three-fourths of Garden Grove's culturally diverse residents live in the 47th. Many years of refugees arriving from Southeast Asia caused concerns that increased demand for social services would lead to higher taxes.
Santa Ana is one of only a few Orange County cities that trends Democratic, and the 47th also has some of Anaheim's most Democratic areas. The small part of Fullerton in the district's northern end is heavily Hispanic, although the city overall historically leans Republican. The Asian community, some of which is heavily Christian, also has a conservative side. Democrat Barack Obama won here easily in 2008, taking 60 percent of the district's presidential vote.
Major Industry
Small business, service, defense, tourism
Cities
Santa Ana (pt.), 283,250; Anaheim (pt.), 190,784; Garden Grove (pt.), 129,231; Fullerton (pt.), 17,481
notable
The 10,000-member Crystal Cathedral Ministries mega-church is located in Garden Grove.
District Election History
| Year |
Election |
Candidate |
Votes |
Percent |
| 2010 |
general |
Loretta Sanchez (D) |
50,832 |
53% |
| Van Tran (R) |
37,679 |
39.3% |
| Cecilia Iglesias (I) |
7,443 |
7.8% |
| 2008 |
general |
Loretta Sanchez (D) |
85,878 |
69.5% |
| Rosemarie Avila (R) |
31,432 |
25.4% |
| Robert Lauten (AMI) |
6,274 |
5.1% |
| 2006 |
general |
Loretta Sanchez (D) |
47,134 |
62.3% |
| Tan Nguyen (R) |
28,485 |
37.7% |
| 2004 |
general |
Loretta Sanchez (D) |
65,684 |
60.4% |
| Alexandria Coronado (R) |
43,099 |
39.6% |
| 2002 |
general |
Loretta Sanchez (D) |
42,501 |
60.9% |
| Jeff Chavez (R) |
24,346 |
34.9% |
| Paul Marsden (LIBERT) |
2,944 |
4.2% |
Vote For President
| Year |
Democrat |
Republican |
Independent |
| 2008 |
Barack Obama: 60.1% |
John McCain: 37.8% |
|
| 2004 |
John Kerry: 49% |
George W. Bush: 50% |
|
| 2000 |
Al Gore: 55% |
George W. Bush: 40% |
|
