On Monday, Republicans and Democrats split a close race in California, with incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) defeating Democratic challenger Will Rollins in the 41st District and defeating incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.). (Republican, California) lost to the Democratic Party. 27th place challenger George Whitesides.
Mr. Calvert, a 32-year veteran of the House, faced an unusually tough challenge from Mr. Rollins. Mr. Rollins accused Mr. Calvert of using his time in Congress to acquire local rental properties in Riverside County, part of the Inland Empire east of Los Angeles.
President-elect Donald Trump backed Calvert's campaign with a rally in the nearby Coachella Valley in October, but political commentators were concerned because California is a solidly blue state. I let it happen. Mr. Trump's strategy worked, and Mr. Calvert won reelection in a close race.
Garcia, a former fighter pilot, has faced a tough re-election challenge since being elected in 2000 to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Katie Hill, but he is popular among conservatives.
California's competitive House races were both closely fought, but neither election affected the outcome of the House control race called for Republicans early Monday.
But the more seats Republicans gain, the more comfortable their narrow (currently extremely narrow) margin with Republicans will become.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
