(Picture courtesy of the O.C. Register)
Failed Garden Grove City Council candidate T. Linh Ho may be young, but she has figured out why almost all the Vietnamese candidates in Orange County lost on Nov. 4 – “People are tired of all this negativity.”
“In Orange County, 13 Vietnamese Americans vied for different offices from state assembly to sanitary district. Only two incumbents – Rep. Van Tran (R-Garden Grove) and Garden Grove Unified School District Trustee Kim-Oanh Nguyen-Lam won their respective elections,” according to the O.C. Register.
Of the challengers, only one, Andrew Do, appears to be winning, in his race for the Garden Grove City Council. What does all of this mean?
For one thing, O.C. Supervisor Janet Nguyen won her initial election because she was the only viable woman candidate – and Tom Umberg and Carlos Bustamante beat each other to a pulp. But Nguyen will not find her re-election in four years to be nearly so easy. By then the local Democrats will unite behind a Latino candidate, probably Assemblyman Jose Solorio, and it will be on.
As for Assemblyman Van Tran, he is termed out in two years. Then what? If he takes on Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez she will beat him like a drum. My guess is that he will stay in Sacramento and become a lobbyist. We will finally be rid of him here in Orange County! And I think his seat will go to Costa Mesa Councilwoman Katrina Foley.
Nguyen managed to get Do, her Chief of Staff, elected. That will be the extent of her influence. He will likely run for Tran’s Assembly seat and get punked by Foley. Already Nguyen has lost face in Westminster, over her stupid pedestrian bridge idea, and she is loathed by everyone on the Santa Ana City Council, except for her pal Bustamante, whom she endorsed in his re-election bid this year. Nguyen might have the least influence in her supervisorial district of any of the incumbents on the O.C. Board of Supervisors.
Folks are tired of the ongoing war between Nguyen and Tran and this time all the Vietnamese candidates paid for it. These folks better figure it out or else their power will dwindle away as Latino voters continue to grow in influence. While many Latino voters do not vote regularly, I expect that to change as younger voters come to the forefront. Young people today are energized by Barack Obama’s ascendancy. They will be the difference in Central Orange County. Republican machine politicians beware!
Interesting analysis Art. How much do you think the demonstrations at the newspaper offices with charges of ‘communist’ or ‘communist sympathizer’ leveled anytime there is a dispute in that community. I know the stranglehold the republicans have had on this community is weakening and that lots of young people are identifying with the democrats, registering democrat and hopefully voting for the best candidate and not for the most powerful. If they do the power of the Trannies and Jannies is definitely on its way out.
#1,
I agree. Too bad the Dems got behind Paul Lucas instead of the more deserving and better qualified Robin Marcario….
I agree, Robin Marcario and Linda Zamora are two of the new contenders that will make good public servants when they eventually get elected. I hope they continue to seek public office.
Jannies and Trannies together again? So I guess everyone wants a promotion in a few years. Andrew Do will probably get his. And Dana Rohrabacher gets to keep his seat, too. How swell for them.
Van Tran is a lot of things but he’s not stupid. He’ll always take political expediency over integrity (a lesson I should probably learn). Do you think he’d give a damn about Janet if she lost her Supes seat? What happens when more of his people suffer defeats? Who will he cling to next?
SMS
I sse a census coming up with a supervisorial remapping happening and completing around 2011. I hope those groups fighting for the middle class considering challenging the lines drawn by these self serving politicians and create more challlenging districts.
Yes, the county is changing. Obama was really close to beting Mccain here so we know were those more progressives voters reside in and need to have a strong push to have campetitive elections.
This is a Republican county and the principles they push at the state level (The Proposition in regards to redistricting and creating real elections) only plays itself in one district(If That)
Moreover, I hope to see community groups being underserved in the first district challenge the 1st supervisorial seat map and request this follow the law. While every other district (Assembly, Senate and Congressional) in the central county follow a north to south direction the 1st Supervisorial follows a east to west direction. This is to intentional dilute the Hispanic vote and I’m encouraged that an Obama’s election will help enforce federal lawas to protect protected classes.
LOL, just noticed, Art – a compromise on Linh’s name: T. Linh Ho. Progress! Come into the light…
And even tho’ she looks so young, don’t forget she’s 30. Linh will be BACH…