LOS ANGELES — Former President Bill Clinton will appear at rallies Saturday morning for two Orange County Democrats running in hotly contested House races that could determine which party wins control of Congress.

Along with Clinton, Reps. Judy Chu, D-Calif., Marilyn Strickland from Washington, Jill Tokuda of Hawaii and various Asian American affinity groups will support candidates Derek Tran and state Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, on their "AAPI Day of Action." The event is meant to reach Asian American voters, who have become an important voting bloc in the region, and residents of the Buena Park and Westminster areas.

Clinton's presence at the event signals to how "both parties place a high priority on winning these seats," said David Wasserman, senior editor and elections analyst for the nonpartisan newsletter the Cook Political Report. Orange County leaned more Republican when Clinton was in office, Wasserman said, but the region has progressively moved left as it became more diverse.

"Democrats are now running up a score in Irvine and doing better than they used to in southern Orange County, so Republicans are trying to hold on to what they have," Wasserman said.

Tran faces a costly and difficult fight in his effort to unseat Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., while Min and Republican Scott Baugh are trading blows in an effort to succeed Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif.

"These are two of the top targets for the parties in the country," Wasserman said. On election night, it may be possible for the country to "wait on California to know which party controls the House."

Clinton is the latest high-profile Democrat politician to tune into Southern California as the Nov. 5 election looms. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries attended campaigning events in Orange County and the Antelope Valley over the Oct. 13 weekend, the same day House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., appeared in Corona.

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