Michelle Steel

Michelle Eunjoo Steel (née Park, born June 21, 1955) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 45th congressional district since 2023, previously representing the 48th congressional district from 2021 to 2023.[2] A member of the Republican Party, she concurrently served as a member of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise's Whip Team for the 117th Congress.[3]

This article is about the U.S. Representative. For the ESPN reporter, see Michele Steele. For the Australian athlete, see Michelle Steele.

Michelle Steel
박은주
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Preceded byHarley Rouda
Constituency48th district (2021–2023)
45th district (2023–present)
Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors
In office
January 1, 2020 – January 1, 2021
Preceded byLisa Bartlett
Succeeded byAndrew Do
In office
January 1, 2017 – January 1, 2018
Preceded byLisa Bartlett
Succeeded byAndrew Do
Vice Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors
In office
January 1, 2019 – January 1, 2020
Preceded byShawn Nelson
Succeeded byAndrew Do
In office
January 1, 2016 – January 1, 2017
Preceded byLisa Bartlett
Succeeded byAndrew Do
Member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors
from the 2nd district
In office
January 5, 2015 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byJohn Moorlach
Succeeded byKatrina Foley
Member of the California State Board of Equalization
from the 3rd district
In office
January 5, 2007 – January 5, 2015
Preceded byClaude Parrish
Succeeded byDiane Harkey
Personal details
Born
Michelle Eunjoo Park

(1955-06-21) June 21, 1955
Seoul, South Korea
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 1981)​
Children2
EducationPepperdine University (BA)
University of Southern California (MBA)
WebsiteHouse website
Korean name
Hangul
박은주[1]
Hanja
朴銀珠
Revised RomanizationBak Eunju
McCune–ReischauerPak Ŭn-ju

Steel served as the member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors from the 2nd district from 2015 to 2021 and of the California State Board of Equalization from the 3rd district from 2007 to 2015.[4][5][6] Steel, fellow California Republican Young Kim and Democrat Marilyn Strickland of Washington are the first Korean-American women to serve in Congress. Steel and Kim, along with David Valadao, also became the first Republican congressional candidates since 1994 to unseat incumbent House Democrats in California.

Early life and education

Steel was born in Seoul, South Korea.[6] Her father was born in Shanghai to Korean expatriate parents. Steel was educated in South Korea, Japan, and the United States. She holds a degree in business from Pepperdine University and an MBA from the University of Southern California. She is fluent in Korean and Japanese.[5]

California politics

Steel has been active in Republican Party politics and served on various commissions in the George W. Bush administration.[7]

California State Board of Equalization

Steel was elected to the California State Board of Equalization in 2006 when Republican incumbent Claude Parrish ran unsuccessfully for state Treasurer. Throughout her tenure, she served as the country's highest-ranking Korean American officeholder, and California's highest-ranking Republican woman.[4] She represented more than eight million people in the 3rd district, which then included all of Imperial, Orange, Riverside and San Diego Counties and parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. In 2011, she was elected vice chair of the Board of Equalization.[8]

Orange County Board of Supervisors
Steel during her tenure as Orange County Supervisor in 2014.

In 2014, Steel was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors representing the 2nd district, defeating state Assemblyman Allan Mansoor.[9]

In March 2018, Steel was the only elected official to greet President Donald Trump when he landed at LAX on his first official visit to California as president.[10] In 2019, Trump appointed her to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.[11]

Steel chaired the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2017 and again in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she opposed mandatory face masks in Orange County.[12][13] She voted against requiring face coverings for retail employees[14] and opposed mask mandates in public schools. She questioned masks' efficacy in preventing the virus spread.[15]

On September 15, 2020, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved plans that could lead to increased private jet traffic at John Wayne Airport. Steel was criticized by her Democratic opponent, Harley Rouda, for taking campaign contributions from ACI Jet, the corporation that was awarded the contract.[16][17]

Steel and her husband Shawn supported the 2020-21 recall initiative against California Governor Gavin Newsom[18] and endorsed Larry Elder to replace him.[19]

U.S. House of Representatives

2020
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in California § District 48

In 2020, Steel ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in California's 48th congressional district.[20] She received 34.9% of the vote to advance from the primary and defeated incumbent Democrat Harley Rouda in the November 3 general election with 51.1% of the vote.[21] Steel raised $200,000 more than Rouda.[22]

During her campaign, Steel spoke out against COVID-19 mask mandates.[13] Her platform included opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage, and the creation of a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.[13][23] A conservative, she aligned herself with President Donald Trump.[24]

2022
See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in California § District 45

On December 23, 2021, Steel announced that she would run in California's 45th congressional district in 2022 due to redistricting. She was endorsed by Kevin McCarthy, Young Kim, Ken Calvert, Mimi Walters, Andrew Do, and the Republican Party of Orange County.[25]

Steel defeated Democratic nominee Jay Chen in the November 8, 2022, general election.[26]

2024
Main article: 2024 California's 45th congressional district election

Steel has filed paperwork to run for reelection in the district in 2024.[27]

Tenure
2021 portrait of Steel during the 117th United States Congress.

Along with several other Republican U.S. House freshmen, Steel is a member of the Freedom Force, an informal group styled as a Republican counterpart to the Democratic group The Squad.[28]

Steel tested positive for COVID-19 in January 2021.[29] She referenced her own mild symptoms from her bout with COVID to advocate for opening up schools and businesses.[30]

Due to her COVID-19 quarantine, Steel missed voting on the certification of Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.[31] She voted against the second impeachment of Donald Trump on January 13, 2021.[32]

In early February 2021, Steel called for the reopening of schools in California.[33][34][35]

On February 25, 2021, Steel voted against the Equality Act, a bill that would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act to explicitly include new protections.[36]

On February 27, 2021, Steel voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief and stimulus bill.[37][38]

In March 2021, Steel introduced a bill that would block federal funding from being used to support California's high-speed rail project, which she called a "failure."[39]

In June 2021, Steel was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.[40][41]

In 2021, Steel joined a majority of Republican representatives in signing onto an amicus brief to overturn Roe v. Wade.[42]

In July 2022, Steel voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which would require the U.S. federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages.[43][44]

As of December 2022, Steel had voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 21% of the time.[45]

In September 2023, Steel was among a bipartisan group of eight U.S. House members who co-sponsored a mental health focused bill aimed at integrating behavioral health services for Medicare beneficiaries in primary care settings.[46]

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:[47]

Caucus memberships

Personal life
Steel with her husband, former California Republican Party Chair Shawn Steel, in 2018.

In 1981, Steel married Shawn Steel, who became California Republican Party chairman from 2001 to 2003 and Republican National Committeeman from California since 2008. They have two daughters and live in Seal Beach, California.[50] Steel is a Christian.[51]

At a 2014 political event Steel recounted that she had withdrawn her younger daughter from the University of California, Santa Cruz after her daughter voiced support for same-sex marriage and President Barack Obama. The daughter completed her education at Loyola Marymount and Vanderbilt universities. An LBGTQ rights organization publicized this story during her 2020 campaign.[52]

Electoral history
2022 United States House of Representatives elections in California[53]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michelle Steel (incumbent) 113,163 52.4
Democratic Jay Chen 102,802 47.6
Total votes 215,965 100
Republican hold
2020 United States House of Representatives elections in California[54]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michelle Steel 201,738 51.1
Democratic Harley Rouda (incumbent) 193,362 48.9
Total votes 395,100 100
Republican gain from Democratic
Orange County Board of Supervisors 2nd district, 2018[55]
Candidate Votes  %
Michelle Steel (incumbent) 80,854 63.4
Brendon Perkins 31,387 24.6
Michael Mahony 15,281 12.0
Total votes 127,522 100.0
Orange County Board of Supervisors 2nd district, 2014[56]
Candidate Votes  %
Michelle Steel 62.5
Allan Mansoor (incumbent) 37.5
Total votes 100.0
2010 State Board of Equalization District 3 election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michelle Steel (incumbent) 1,325,538 54.9
Democratic Mary Christian Heising 836,057 34.6
Libertarian Jerry L. Dixon 117,783 4.8
Peace and Freedom Mary Lou Finley 79,870 3.3
American Independent Terri Lussenheide 59,513 2.4
Total votes 2,418,761 100.0
Republican hold
2006 State Board of Equalization District 3 election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michelle Steel 1,147,514 56.99
Democratic Mary Christian-Heising 774,499 38.47
Peace and Freedom Mary Finley 91,467 4.54
Total votes 2,013,480 100.00
Republican hold

See also

References
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  2. "Rep. Harley Rouda Concedes to Republican Challenger in 48th District Congressional District Race". NBC Los Angeles. November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
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