Drama not likely in 48th congressional district race until November

Mar. 3--Though Democratic incumbent Rep. Harley Rouda and Republican challenger Michelle Steel are widely expected to finish ahead of four other challengers today and advance to the general election, the March 3 primary could offer a glimpse of the relative strength of the two leading candidates.

The November general election is expected to produce higher drama. The coastal Orange County district -- which runs from Seal Beach to Aliso Viejo -- still leans Republican, with the party holding a 6.1 percentage point registration advantage over Democrats. How those voters decide on Rouda or Steel could say a lot about the state of the two parties in Orange County.

In winning CA-48 two years ago, Rouda, a political newcomer from Laguna Beach, defeated 15-term Republican Dana Rohrabacher. This time, Republicans hope the solid economy under President Donald Trump and messaging that Democrats are too far to the left will prompt voters to un-flip the seat -- a formula they're betting on in a few other local House races.

However, Rouda, 58, has taken a more moderate position on some issues than some of his fellow House Democrats. In his first year, he introduced a few dozen bills focused on, among other things, environmental protection, fighting the opioid crisis and reducing robocalls, with three of those bills signed into law. He's also avoided scandal and been a solid fundraiser, bringing in $2.5 million in donations as of Friday, Feb. 28 -- traits that could make unseating him a challenge.

Rouda is a former real estate executive whose wife, Kaira, has written best-selling crime novels. They have four children. Since taking office, Rouda said he's most proud of being one of the most legislatively productive members of congress. His predecessor, Rohrabacher, passed three bills during his three decades in office.

Rouda is stumping for former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg in the presidential race.

The best known challenger in CA-48 is Steel, who serves as chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. She's raised more money than any challenger vying for a House seat in Orange County, though more than a third of that $1.8 million has come from her own pocket. She's also picked up endorsements from county and state Republican parties, plus several GOP officials.

Steel, 64, was a young adult when she and her family immigrated to the United States. Her husband, Shawn Steel, is California's Republican National Committee member and former head of the state GOP. They live in Seal Beach's Surfside community, and they have two grown daughters and one grandchild.

Steel said she first became interested in politics as she watched her single mom struggle to fight an unwarranted tax bill from the California State Board of Equalization. She won a seat on the BOE in 2006, which at the time made her the country's highest-ranking Korean American officeholder and California's highest-ranking Republican woman.

Steel's views on major issues fall mostly along party lines. She opposes abortion rights, gay marriage and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, though she supports some additional regulations to combat climate change. She is campaigning on pledges to reduce taxes, oppose government-run health care, support a border wall with Mexico and protect beaches.

Steel plans to vote for Trump and has ties to the president. Steel and her husband greeted Trump at Los Angeles International Airport during a March 2018 fundraising visit, and the president in 2019 named her co-chair of his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. But she spoke out in opposition to Trump administration's plans to deport thousands of Vietnamese refugees who fled to the U.S. prior to 1995 and subsequently committed crimes.

The only other CA-48 challenger with financial backing is Republican Brian Burley, a 26-year-old business owner from Huntington Beach who's raised $87,067 this cycle.

This is Burley's first campaign. His views on many major issues are in line with Steel, though he differs from her in supporting a woman's right to choose under narrow circumstances, legal marijuana and fewer regulations aimed at combating climate change. Burley has specific plans for increasing tax deductions, enforcing camping bans to get homeless people off city streets, cutting off benefits for undocumented immigrants, and pushing block grants for Medicaid.

Another GOP challenger in CA-48, James Brian Griffin, also is a political newcomer. Griffin, 64, lives in Sunset Beach. He owns a real estate brokerage and property management firm and has published a career guide. Griffin has three adult children and four grandchildren.

Griffin opposes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and legal marijuana, but supports gay marriage and a woman's right to choose under narrow circumstances. He's campaigning on a platform of lower business taxes, lower health insurance premiums, better mental health care, reforming immigration and lowering the national debt.

Another GOP challenger in CA-48 is John Thomas Schuesler, who runs a real estate finance company and is a documentary filmmaker. Schuesler declined to answer campaign questions, instead sending an email that slammed the media and universities. His campaign website warns of a coming civil war against Marxist Socialism.

Another CA-48 challenger is retired educator Richard Mata, a member of the far-right American Independent party. Mata did not respond to requests to complete the Register's candidate survey, and the Costa Mesa resident doesn't appear to have a campaign website.

Check back here for live election results on the CA-48 race starting around 8 p.m. March 3.

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