On Wednesday, two Republican representatives from California announced their plans to compete against each other after the state’s recent Democratic redistricting placed them in the same district.
Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim confirmed they will run in the newly established 40th Congressional District. This announcement came just a day after voters in California overwhelmingly supported Proposition 50, which effectively replaced the state’s independent redistricting commission with partisan maps created by the Democratic-led Legislature. This decision has been heavily backed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, especially in light of Texas’ recent redistricting, which aimed to create more Republican districts.
The new district appears to lean significantly more Republican than their current one. If it had existed during the 2024 election, it would have favored Trump by a margin of 12 percentage points, as reported by the Washington Post.
“The residents of the newly created 40th Congressional District deserve a trustworthy, results-driven conservative. No one else has the same level of experience and success as I do in Riverside and Orange County,” Calvert stated. He expressed enthusiasm about supporting President Trump’s agenda, which includes tax cuts, lowering housing costs, and improving safety in the community.
Calvert has been a member of Congress since 1993 and ranks as the third-highest Republican in California, following Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters.
In contrast, Kim, in his announcement, positioned himself as a leading Republican fundraiser, emphasizing his history of succeeding in challenging elections. He currently represents about 175,000 registered voters in the new district, making up roughly 35% of the total voter base there, including a significant portion of Republican-leaning voters. Additionally, as the only incumbent from California representing both Orange and Riverside counties, he believes he has considerable support heading into the election.
Notably, Trump would have led Kim’s current district by a slim margin of 2.3 points in 2024. This election cycle, Kim has reportedly set personal fundraising records, having raised over $5 million so far, backed by more than 42,500 conservative grassroots donors. His office stated that he is committed to combating radical Democrats and contributing to an era of rejuvenation under Trump, countering Biden’s policies.
Neither Calvert nor Kim’s spokespeople immediately provided comments when contacted.
