Tan D. Nguyen

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Tan D. Nguyen (born 1973) is a Republican politician who was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States House of Representatives in California's 47th congressional district in 2006. He lost to incumbent Loretta Sanchez.

1 Biography
2 2006 Congressional campaign & alleged vote suppression scandal
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Biography

Nguyen was born Nguyễn Đức Tân^[1] in Da Nang, South Vietnam in 1973. Following the Fall of Saigon, he and his family became boat people in 1981. His family settled in California, where he attended the University of California, Los Angeles. He later graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Baccalaureate degree and emphasis on Business-Economics, Biochemistry and Asian Studies. He married Hanh Lam and settled in Southern California, working for American Express. In 2004, Nguyen lost the 46^th district Democratic primary to Jim Brandt before switching to the Republican Party.^[2]

[edit] 2006 Congressional campaign & alleged vote suppression scandal

Nguyen won the Republican Party's endorsement to run for the 47th Congressional District of California in the June 6, 2006 primary election with 55.4% of the votes in a three-way race^[3]. He faced incumbent Loretta Sanchez in the November election. The 47th congressional district has one of the highest percentage of Vietnamese-American voters in the United States.

Nguyen's campaign has been linked to a widely criticized Spanish-language mailing allegedly warning immigrants not to vote, threatening them with prison or deportation. The letter was issued on what appeared to be the letterhead of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform, however its head denied any involvement.[1] One line has been translated by the media to say, "You are being sent this letter because you were recently registered to vote. If you are a citizen of the United States, we ask that you participate in the democratic process of voting. You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in imprisonment, and you will be deported for voting without having the right to do so."^[4] Nguyen has disputed this translation. The published translation also does not make sense in the context of the rest of the letter. Nguyen denied any personal involvement in the incident, and stated that an employee in his office might have been responsible, and that the employee has since been fired^[5]. Orange County Republican Chairman Scott Baugh has told the Associated Press that the party executive committee voted unanimously to recommend that Mr. Nguyen withdraw from the election. "I learned information that allows me to draw the conclusion that not only was Mr. Nguyen's campaign involved in this, but that Mr. Nguyen was personally involved in expediting the mailer," states Baugh. Nguyen denies the allegation.^[6]

On Friday, October 20, California DOJ agents raided Nguyen's campaign headquarters in Garden Grove and his home in Santa Ana, "hauling off computers and bags of evidence."^[7]

On November 8, 2006, the OC Register reported that Nguyen earned 38% of the votes.[2] Soon thereafter it was official - Nguyen lost.