Rep. Ken Calvert advances in race for newly redrawn California 40th Congressional District, CBS News projects
Republican Rep. Ken Calvert has advanced to the November election for California's 40th Congressional District, CBS News projects.
Calvert, who currently represents California's 41st Congressional District, announced his campaign shortly after California voters passed Proposition 50, which shifted five districts to be more favorable to Democrats in the midterm elections this year.
Under California's top-two primary system, the two candidates with the most votes will move on to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation. The second spot is still up for grabs as of Wednesday morning.
The contentious race to take control of the newly drawn congressional district would knock out at least one prominent state Republican from Congress. Incumbent Rep. Young Kim faced seven challengers, including her colleague Calvert, in her quest to be reelected to represent the newly redrawn 40th Congressional District, which spans parts of Orange County and the Inland Empire.
The race pitted the two Republicans against each other with the new district map combining parts of Kim and Calvert's current districts after voters in 2025 in California passed Proposition 50. The measure was backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats in an effort to shift five districts to be more favorable to Democrats in the midterm elections this year. The measure was intended to counter a move by Texas Republicans to redraw their state's congressional districts to create five GOP-leaning seats.
The new 40th Congressional district splits Corona in half and spans from the easternmost cities of Orange County, like Villa Park and Mission Viejo, across the Inland Empire to Murrieta and Menifee.
Calvert, a Corona native, has been in Congress for more than 30 years. He has previously represented the 42nd, 43rd and 44th congressional districts. He was elected in 1992.
Hours after Calvert's announcement, Kim launched her reelection campaign.
Kim, of Anaheim Hills, was elected to the 40th Congressional District in 2023. She previously represented the 39th Congressional District from 2021 to 2023 and served in the Assembly from 2014 to 2016. Kim is one of the first Korean American women to serve in Congress.
Kim and Calvert have traded several jabs on the campaign trail, calling into question each other's support and work with President Trump. Both are known for their support for immigration reform and Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," which allocated nearly $47 million for the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Other candidates in the race include Democrats Joseph Kerr, a retired firefighter who ran against Kim in 2024; Esther Kim Varet, an art gallery owner and political newcomer; Lisa Ramirez, an immigration attorney and Southern California native; and Claude Keissieh, a U.S. Army veteran who previously worked with the California Department of Corrections and currently works with Caltrans. Nonprofit organization director Nina Linh is also running as a no-party-preference candidate.
