A look at House candidates in Orange County, California

The Democratic drive to take control of the U.S. House in November might rise or fall on the California coast. As part of its strategy, the party is targeting four Republican-held seats in Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, which Hillary Clinton carried in the 2016 presidential election.

Meanwhile, the county, a one-time Republican stronghold, has gradually grown more diverse and Democratic in its politics. Here's a look at candidates in the four districts in play:

39TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2012, file photo, California Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point, is seen during a Capitol news conference in Sacramento, Calif. Harkey, a Republican candidate for a U.S. House seat in the 49th Congressional District, has been endorsed by Trump. For decades, Orange County, California, was known as a Republican stronghold, but it has gradually grown more diverse and Democratic in its politics. (AP PhotoRich Pedroncelli, File)

It includes parts of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

— Young Kim, Republican. The 55-year-old South Korean immigrant and former state lawmaker worked for retiring Rep. Ed Royce for years and is well-known in the district, where registration is closely divided. She's running as a supporter of President Donald Trump with an independent streak. She says she opposes increased trade tariffs imposed by the administration. Kim was born in South Korea and grew up in Guam before coming to the U.S.

— Gil Cisneros, Democrat. The 47-year-old Navy veteran and former Frito-Lay manager is a first-time candidate arguing for change in gridlocked Washington. The son of a public school cafeteria worker and a Vietnam veteran, Cisneros and his wife won a $266 million lottery jackpot and run a charitable foundation. He says he wants to continue in public service and that voters are often surprised that someone with his wealth would want to get involved in the nasty partisan battles on Capitol Hill.

FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2018, file photo, Mike Levin, a Democratic candidate in the 49th Congressional District, attends the Take It Back California event where former President Barack Obama campaigns in support of California congressional candidates in Anaheim, Calif. Southern California's Orange County was known as a Republican stronghold for decades. Democrats this year hope to capture as many as four Republican-held U.S. House districts in the county. (AP PhotoRingo H.W. Chiu, File)

45TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Entirely in Orange County.

— Rep. Mimi Walters, Republican. She was re-elected two years ago by a 17-point margin in a district where Republicans have a shrinking registration edge. Walters, 56, has been promoting the region's economic growth under Trump's stewardship. The former investment banker and state lawmaker supported the president on the federal tax overhaul and Republicans' attempts to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care law.

FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2012, file photo, state Sen. Mimi Walters, R-Lake Forest, speaks at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. Rep. Walters is a candidate running for a U.S. House seat against Democrat Katie Porter in the 45th Congressional District. For decades, Orange County, California, was known as a Republican stronghold but times have changed. Now, Hispanics and Asians together are the majority and more voters are registering as Democrats and independents. (AP PhotoRich Pedroncelli, File)

— Katie Porter, Democrat. The 44-year-old law professor was appointed by former state Attorney General Kamala Harris to oversee California's share of a $25 billion national mortgage settlement following the housing crisis. She's a protege of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat who's a favorite of the party's liberal wing. Porter wants to overturn Trump's tax plan and she supports universal health care.

48TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Entirely in Orange County.

FILE - In this June 5, 2018, file photo, Harley Rouda, a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 48th District in Orange County, poses during interviews in Newport Beach, Calif. The Republican-turned-Democrat says he’s not a politician but is tired of Washington representatives failing to meet the needs of the people they serve. For decades, Orange County, California, was known as a Republican stronghold, but it has gradually grown more diverse and Democratic in its politics. (AP PhotoKrysta Fauria, File)

— Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Republican. The congressman was easily re-elected two years ago, but Democrats see an opportunity to oust a long-serving member whose name has come up in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He has denied any wrongdoing. Rohrabacher, 71, is a one-time cold warrior who became Russia's leading defender on Capitol Hill. The guitar-strumming congressman who loves to surf is a former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan and is known for his longtime support for legalized marijuana and skepticism about climate change.

— Harley Rouda, Democrat. The businessman, real estate developer and lawyer is making his first run for the House. The Republican-turned-Democrat says he's not a politician but is tired of Washington representatives failing to meet the needs of the people they serve. His ads depict him as a Democrat in the mold of Obama. "We need new leadership that trusts science, acts on climate change, demands that polluters clean up their mess," Rouda, 56, says on his website.

49TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, file photo, Young Kim, speaks at a gas tax rally in Fullerton, Calif. In the 39th Congressional District, Kim, a Korean immigrant Republican is running for a U.S. House seat against Gil Cisneros, a Hispanic Democrat. Kim is trying to become the first Korean-American woman elected to Congress. (AP PhotoChris Carlson, File)

It includes parts of San Diego and Orange counties.

— Diane Harkey, Republican. Nine-term Republican Rep. Darrell Issa is stepping aside after surviving his 2016 race by 1,600 votes, a confirmation that the once solidly Republican district has grown more Democratic. Harkey, a former state lawmaker who sits on a state tax board and earlier worked in corporate finance and banking, has been endorsed by Trump. The president's campaign recently tweeted that she would be a "great supporter" of Trump's agenda. Harkey, 67, has called her Democratic rival out of step with the district and warned of higher taxes, runaway regulations and government-run health care with Democrats in charge.

— Mike Levin, Democrat. The environmental attorney has sparred with Harkey over Trump's agenda, global warming and immigration. "Sorry, President Trump, but climate change is real," he says in an online video. Levin, who turns 40 on Saturday, has called Harkey a "rubber stamp" for the White House. On his website, he says he will not be a rigid partisan in Washington but wants to build coalitions to improve the environment and establish universal health care.

FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2018, file photo, Katie Porter, a Democratic candidate seeking election to the U.S. House to represent the 45th Congressional District of California poses in Laguna Beach, Calif. Porter is running against Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. Democrats this year hope to capture as many as four Republican-held U.S. House seats in the county. (AP PhotoChris Carlson, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2018, file photo, Democratic congressional candidate, Gil Cisneros, attends the Take It Back California event where former President Barack Obama campaigns in support of California congressional candidates in Anaheim, Calif. Cisneros, a Hispanic Democrat, is running against Young Kim, a Republican who is a Korean immigrant. Democrats this year hope to capture as many as four Republican-held U.S. House seats in the county. (AP PhotoRingo H.W. Chiu, File)

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian lawmakers on Thursday voted into office a new government that reinstated two pro-Russia officials who are sanctioned by the United States, reflecting persistent close ties with Moscow despite the Balkan nation's proclaimed bid to join the European Union.

Prime Minister Miloš Vučević's government got backing in a 152-61 vote in the 250-member parliament. The remaining 37 lawmakers were absent.

The government includes former intelligence chief Aleksandar Vulin, who has made several visits to Russia in recent months, as one of several vice-premiers, along with Nenad Popović, another Russia supporter who has faced U.S. sanctions.

The foreign minister in the previous government, Ivica Dačić, also a pro-Russia politician, will be in charge of the Interior Ministry in the new Cabinet.

The vote followed a heated two-day debate. President Aleksandar Vučić's ruling nationalist conservative Serbian Progressive Party holds a comfortable majority after an election in December that fueled political tensions because of reports of widespread irregularities.

The increasingly authoritarian Vučić has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, though Serbia has condemned the aggression.

Vučević, the new prime minister, reiterated that Belgrade doesn't intend to impose sanctions on Russia and “cannot and will not give up" the friendship with Russia. Integration into the EU remains a ”strategic goal," Vucevic said.

"Best possible” relations with the U.S. also are in Serbia's interest, Vučević added. “I firmly believe that our relations can once again be on a high level.”

Security analyst and a Belgrade university professor Filip Ejdus described the new government's composition as a “spin" designed to send a message both to the West and Russia, and to voters at home.

“It sends a message to the EU that they should not push Belgrade too much over democracy, rule of law, or Kosovo if they want to keep Serbia in its orbit,” Ejdus said. “At the same time, it signals to Moscow a readiness to strengthen the strategic partnership with Russia.”

The U.S. imposed sanctions on Vulin in July, accusing him of involvement in illegal arms shipments, drug trafficking and misuse of public office.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said that Vulin used his public authority to help a U.S.-sanctioned Serbian arms dealer move illegal arms shipments across Serbia’s borders. Vulin is also accused of involvement in a drug trafficking ring, according to U.S. authorities.

Vulin, who in the past had served as both the army and police chief, has recently received two medals of honor from Russia, one from the Federal Security Service, or FSB, and the other was awarded to him by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Popović, a businessman and a former government minister, has “used his Russia-based businesses to enrich himself and gain close connections with Kremlin senior leaders,” the U.S. Treasury said last November in a statement.

The U.S. sanctions against individuals and companies in the Balkans are designed to counter attempts to undermine peace and stability in the volatile region and Russia's “malign” influence.

The West has stepped up efforts to lure the troubled region into its fold, fearing that Russia could stir unrest to avert attention from the war in Ukraine. The Balkans went through multiple wars in the 1990s, and tensions still persist.

Serbia's falling democracy record has pushed the country away from EU integration, explained Ejdus. Reports of election fraud at the Dec. 17 vote triggered street protests and clashes.

“Vučić is still pretending to be on the EU path because it’s beneficial for Serbia’s economy, and the EU tolerates his authoritarian tendencies out of fear of instability that could be caused in its backyard if Belgrade was lost to Russia and China,” Ejdus said.

Aleksandar Vulin, former director of Serbia's intelligence agency, right, smiles during a parliament session while Serbia's prime minister designate Milos Vucevic presents a plan for the new government to the parliament members in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Serbia's new government will include a former intelligence chief, Aleksandar Vulin who has fostered close ties with Russia and is sanctioned by the United States. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbia's Prime Minister designate Milos Vucevic presents a plan for the new government to the parliament members in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbia's Prime Minister designate Milos Vucevic presents a plan for the new government to the parliament members in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbia's former Prime Minister and Parliament speaker Ana Brnabic, left, speaks with Serbia's new Prime Minister Milos Vucevic at the parliament session during her cabinet's swearing in ceremony at the Serbian Parliament building in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Serbian lawmakers on Thursday voted into office a new government that reinstated two pro-Russia officials who are sanctioned by the United States, reflecting persistent close ties with Moscow despite the Balkan nation's proclaimed bid to join the European Union. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbia's Prime Minister designate Milos Vucevic presents a plan for the new government to the parliament members in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbia's new Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, front, speaks with Aleksandar Vulin, former director of Serbia's intelligence agency, who has fostered close ties with Russia and is sanctioned by the United States at the parliament session during the cabinet's swearing in ceremony at the Serbian Parliament building in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Serbian lawmakers on Thursday voted into office a new government that reinstated two pro-Russia officials who are sanctioned by the United States, reflecting persistent close ties with Moscow despite the Balkan nation's proclaimed bid to join the European Union. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, left, kisses Serbia's new Prime Minister Milos Vucevic after taking the oath during the cabinet's swearing in ceremony at the Serbian Parliament building in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Serbian lawmakers on Thursday voted into office a new government that reinstated two pro-Russia officials who are sanctioned by the United States, reflecting persistent close ties with Moscow despite the Balkan nation's proclaimed bid to join the European Union. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbia's new Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and ministers of the new government of Serbia read their oaths at the parliament session during her cabinet's swearing in ceremony at the Serbian Parliament building in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Serbian lawmakers on Thursday voted into office a new government that reinstated two pro-Russia officials who are sanctioned by the United States, reflecting persistent close ties with Moscow despite the Balkan nation's proclaimed bid to join the European Union. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)