Michelle Steel: ‘I stand for the American Dream’

Rep.-elect Michelle Steel said Friday her victory over Democratic Rep. Henry Rouda in Southern California is proof the American dream is alive and shows the growing diversity of the Republican Party.

Mrs. Steel was declared the winner earlier this week in the 48th Congressional District, which is based in Orange County. The 65-year-old will enter Congress alongside Washington state’s Marilyn Strickland as the first Korean American women elected to Congress.

“You know, I stand for the American dream,” she said on “Fox & Friends.” “The Republican Party is growing. I mean, you know, me, with my accent, I still won.”

Mrs. Steel, a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, said the keys to her victory were focusing her message on lower taxes and less regulation and pushing back against the calls to “defund” the police.

“We have to support the police and all these law enforcement officers because 99% of these people are good people,” Mrs. Steel said. “So I just stick to the issues and that is the reason I think I won.”

“When we stick to the issues and we just try to work with residents and work for residents, I think we are going to keep winning,” she said.