Democratic incumbent Dave Min is up against a series of challengers from across the political spectrum as battles to keep the seat representing California’s 47th Congressional District.
The seat, which Min has held since last year, was previously a swing district in coastal Orange County but became far less competitive for Republicans after redistricting. Voters in the redrawn district, which now includes Irvine, Tustin, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Lake Forest, Laguna Woods, Laguna Niguel and Aliso Viejo, backed Kamala Harris for president over Donald Trump by 10 percentage points in 2024.
Who are the candidates?
- Dave Min: Democrat incumbent, former UC Irvine law professor
Min was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024 after a stint in the state Senate. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he worked for the Securities and Exchange Commission as an enforcement attorney.
- Eric Troutman: Independent, class action defense attorney
Troutman has served as lead counsel on hundreds of national class action lawsuits brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. He also founded and serves as president of Responsible Enterprises Against Consumer Harassment, a trade organization focused on stopping unwanted robocalls.
- Michael Maxsenti: Republican, self-employed
Maxsenti worked on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign. He started his career in the printing industry and was president of the Max Company, where he focused on political communications for a decade, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- Hunter Miranda: Democrat, attorney
Miranda started his legal career working in state and municipal law and policy and also works as a pro bono immigration lawyer. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020 and attended law school at American University’s Washington College of Law, according to his LinkedIn profile.
- Jenny Le Roux: Republican, business owner and director of Cal DOGE
Le Roux jumped into the political scene in California in 2021 as part of a large field of candidates running to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in an unsuccessful recall effort. She has an MBA from Columbia Business School and owns Management Consulted, a company that works with organizations to evaluate performance and reduce inefficiencies.
Republicans Bill Brough and Christopher Gonzales, Libertarian Derrick Reid and Jesus Patino, who is listed as having no party preference, also are running.
Where they stand on immigration
Min, a member of the House Oversight Committee, has been a vocal opponent of the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement efforts…