Derek Tran
DemocratU.S. Representative, CA-45| Age | 45 (b. 1980-12-22) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2025-01-03 (~1 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | Vietnamese American (Asian) |
| Religion | Buddhist |
| Education | B.S. in Economics-Finance, Bentley University (2003); J.D., Glendale University College of Law (2013) |
| Prior occupation | Attorney (consumer rights / personal injury and employment law); founder of The Tran Firm in Huntington Beach; small business owner co-owning an independent pharmacy |
| Military service | Yes: United States Army Reserve |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles County, California |
| Languages | English, Vietnamese (conversational) |
| Marital status | Married — Michelle Nguyen |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Orange, California |
Pending research: notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2024 |
| Previous offices | Traffic Commissioner, City of Orange, California |
| Committees | Committee on Armed Services (Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations; Subcommittee on Readiness) · Committee on Small Business (Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure; Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus · New Democrat Coalition · Congressional Equality Caucus · Congressional Caucus on Vietnam (Co-Chair) · Congressional Taiwan Caucus |
| Leadership | Co-Chair, House Democratic Caucus National Security Task Force |
| Ideology | Voted for the Laken Riley Act (Jan 2025), breaking from the Democratic majority; member of the centrist New Democrat Coalition |
| Signature legislation | Protect Veteran Jobs Act (2025) - first bill, to reinstate veterans terminated from federal workforce · Honor Our Commitment Act (with Rep. Lou Correa) - prohibiting deportation of Vietnamese refugees who arrived before July 12, 1995 · No Getting Rich in Congress Act (H.R. 7852, 2026) - congressional stock/crypto trading and ethics reform · Resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of Black April and the Fall of Saigon |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.