No matter how the impending recount comes out in the final results of the Orange County special election to succeed Democrat Lou Correa on the Board of Supervisors, the winner is more than just Republican candidate Trung Nguyen, it is also Assemblyman Van Tran, who threw his formidable Orange County organization behind Trung to win this important victory for the Republican party. Van Tran has now demonstrated his very formidable clout in southern California politics. The odds were steep: Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante had the early support of key members of the prestigious Orange County Lincoln Club, and as predicted in this column many weeks in advance, the Lincoln Club endorsed Bustamante. But Bustamante finished a disappointing and distant 4th place in the race, with just a little over 16% of the vote. Democrat Tom Umberg was in the money, finishing third, and Garden Grove Councilmember Janet Nguyen is currently second but neck-and-neck with Trung. Janet had the advantage of the very capable Dave Gilliard as her consultant.
Whichever Nguyen is the ultimate elected official in this race, Van Tran has proven himself to be a local political power to be dealt with carefully in future.