California Republican Explores House Race Against Loretta Sanchez

Republican Van Tran announced Wednesday he is forming a 2010 exploratory committee to run against Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez in California’s 47th District.

“I’m deeply concerned about our economy. California’s unemployment is up 33 percent in the past five months, but we’re not seeing solutions in Washington,” Tran, a California assemblyman, said in a statement. “If I run for Congress, my first priority will be passing meaningful economic reforms to create more jobs and get Californians working.”

Republicans in Washington have been working to recruit Tran for a congressional bid. Tran’s election to the state assembly in 2004 made him the first Vietnamese-American in the country elected to a state legislature…

Tran’s release posits that Tran will appeal to the district’s Vietnamese residents, some of whom are conservative Christians. Sanchez is Hispanic and has been a vocal advocate for the Latino community.

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