As ballot counting dragged on three weeks after the Nov. 5 general election, Tran and Steel remained separated by 613 votes, or 0.2 percentage points, as of the most recent vote count.

Derek Tran, a first-time Democratic candidate, has flipped a toss-up California House seat, narrowly defeating GOP Rep.

In a major victory for Democrats, first-time candidate Derek Tran defeated Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in a hotly ...