US midterms: The election is a "referendum on Trump" says expert Orange County, California, is a Republican stronghold in the heart of a largely Democratic state. For the first time, this affluent region could flip in the midterm elections, and give 7 of the 23 seats the Democrats need to tip the House of Representatives. An election that suddenly becomes a "referendum on Trump" says an expert in California politics. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES(COMPLETES VID1251630_EN "Can Democrats swing California's Republican bastion?")