3 from GOP want seat

There’s a three-way race in the Republican primary for the 47th Congressional District to decide which candidate will face the seven-term Democratic incumbent, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana), in the November general election.

The district covers Garden Grove, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana and parts of Anaheim and Fullerton. As the only Orange County Democrat in Congress, Sanchez is being targeted by the National Republican Campaign Committee.

The primary election is June 8. Here’s a look at the candidates who want to take on Sanchez in November.

Van Tran, 45, California Assemblyman, 46th District, Westminster

In 2004, Van Tran became the first Vietnamese American elected to any state legislature. Now that he’s termed out of the Assembly, Tran hopes to make history on the national level by unseating Sanchez.

Tran describes himself as a politically and fiscally conservative Republican who will work to create jobs, cut taxes, support U.S. troops overseas and pay down the national debt.

“In these tough economic times, we need a steady, articulate voice against the ‘pork’ and over-spending of government,” Tran said.

Tran was recently endorsed by the California Republican Assembly at a meeting in Costa Mesa, where he promised supporters: “Less government, less taxes and more freedom.”

Tran’s family was evacuated from Vietnam by the U.S. Army in 1975, a week before the fall of Saigon. He and his wife, Cyndie, settled in Westminster and have two children, Alex and Sophie.

Katherine H. Smith, trustee, Anaheim Union High School District and creator of Oxford Academy, Anaheim

Katherine Smith dubs her campaign “Citizen Smith 2010,” and pledges to use her experience, wisdom and integrity to do the best job possible for the district and the country.

The fourth-generation Republican describes herself as a conservative who favors lower taxes to encourage job creation, term limits for Congress, and tort reform to reduce health-care costs instead of a government-run system.

Smith believes the biggest difference between herself and other GOP candidates is her personal integrity, noting that she has never used taxpayer money to attend events on behalf of the school district.

She promises to do the same in Washington, pledging to never accept a political junket trip because her international experience comes from personal visits she’s already made to more than 90 countries.

If elected, Smith said her top priority would be immigration and border control, due to the impact on local jobs, saying the responsibility for illegal immigration should fall on Mexican officials.

“It makes me sick in my heart for the lives these people are forced to live because of the corrupt Mexican government,” Smith said.

Smith and her husband, S. Clarke Smith, have been married 46 years and have two grown sons.

Tan Nguyen, 47, businessman, Oceanside

Tan Nguyen is a three-time congressional candidate, first running as a Democrat in 2004 against incumbent Dana Rohrabacher in the 46th District. Nguyen switched to the Republican Party in 2006, when he made an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Sanchez.

Politically, Nguyen describes himself as a “middle of the road” Republican who has business experience and an outsider’s perspective.

“I believe that I have fresh ideas and the energy to make changes in D.C., and I’ve already proven I have the guts to take on the establishment on controversial issues like illegal immigration,” Nguyen said.

In this campaign, Nguyen says jobs are the most pressing issue. If elected, he pledges to create incentives for new businesses, cut taxes as low as possible and help create no-interest loans for new and expanding businesses.

Nguyen says he moved to Oceanside after his family received death threats in 2006. That’s where he lives with his wife, Hanh, and their two sons, 4-year-old Evan and 15-month-old Aiden.