California’s 47th U.S. House District

Tran vs. Sanchez

“I felt as though I was on Schindler’s List,” recalled Van Tran, bringing to life the memory that never dims of trying to leave Saigon in 1975 as the invaders from Communist North Vietnam marched in for the takeover.

Like the Jews in Europe for whom being on the list in the movie meant a chance at survival, being on a list of names held by the U.S. Army and the soon-to-be-closed American embassy in Saigon meant a chance for a possibly bright future for many South Vietnamese who wanted to flee.

Ten-year-old Van’s name was on the list, as were the names of his parents. Jetting out of Saigon on a military transport plane, they arrived in the Philippines and, like so many of their fellow countrymen, settled in a part of California’s Orange County that would soon become known as “Little Saigon.”

For the Trans, life was good in their adopted home. Van’s father continued the teaching career he had pursued in South Vietnam and his mother became the first dentist in the Vietnamese community. As young Van went through school, his passion for politics grew. As he says, “I was one of the Reagan youth.”

While at the University of California (Irvine), he was active in the College Republicans and the conservative Young Americans for Freedom. He served as an intern for Rep. Robert Dornan (R.-Calif.), worked in Dornan’s California office and on the staff of State Sen. (now U.S. Rep.) Ed Royce—both conservative stalwarts.

After earning his law degree and spending a few years in private practice and community work, Tran was finally convinced that he should run for office himself. In his maiden race, he was the top vote-getter for a seat on the Garden Grove City Council. In ’04, he became the Golden State’s first-ever state assemblyman of South Vietnamese heritage. To no one’s surprise, Tran compiled a solidly conservative voting record and was unafraid to defy liberal GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on numerous tax and spending issues.

Now Tran is his party’s nominee against liberal Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who first went to Congress in 1996 by unseating his old boss Dornan in a much-disputed outcome. To call Tran and Sanchez (lifetime American Conservative Union rating: 9.49%) polar opposites is no exaggeration. Whether the issue is TARP money for bailouts, stimulus money, “cash for clunkers,” or tax dollars for Planned Parenthood, Sanchez will be voting the Obama-Pelosi line without hesitation.

“Van is a man of destiny,” California GOP National Committeeman Shawn Steel said of Tran back when he first won a legislative seat. “He’ll be the first Vietnamese-American congressman!” Steel was proven wrong when Louisiana Republican Joseph Cao achieved that distinction in ’08. But Steel can still be right that Van is a man of destiny if conservatives help Van Tran take that next important step to Washington in his already exciting life.

(Van Tran for Congress, 3337 South Bristol, #49, Santa Ana, Calif. 92704; 714-907-3442; JoinVanTran.com)

To read the full article on Human Events, click here.