Once Bright-Red Orange County Could Help Turn Congress Blue

Republican Scott Baugh, left, and Democratic state Sen. Dave Min are candidates for California's 47th Congressional District. Photos courtesy of the candidates.

The battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives could well lie in what was once the most unlikely of places: Southern California’s Orange County.

For decades, Orange County and the surrounding area functioned as a firewall for Republicans, a reliable bastion of conservative votes nearly guaranteed to produce a handful of GOP U.S. House members.