Calvert To Run Against Fellow Republican Kim In New 40th District

WILDOMAR, CA — As the borders of congressional districts shifted with the passage of Prop. 50, Republican Rep. Ken Calvert wasted no time in announcing his plans to leave his longtime 41st District for the 40th District currently held by Republican Rep. Young Kim of Orange County.

On Wednesday, he announced that he would run for the newly drawn 40th District to serve residents of both Orange and Riverside County. The seat is far more favorable for GOP candidates than the 41st District now is.

Calvert, a resident of Corona, has served as Congressman of the 41st District for over 30 years.

"Californians in the newly drawn 40th District deserve a proven conservative they can trust and a fighter who has delivered results for Riverside and Orange County for decades," he said in a written statement. "No one else comes close to my record of service to the new 40th. I've lived here my entire life and already represent the majority of this district in Congress. I look forward to helping President Trump to deliver lower taxes, to bring down housing costs, secure our borders, make our streets safe and bring real results for the families of this district for years to come. Together, we will Make America Great Again."

Meanwhile, Rep. Young Kim, the current representative of California's 40th District, is holding her ground. She is also running for reelection in her district in 2026.

The new district will no longer include Lake Forest and Aliso Viejo, and it will pick up Menifee, Wildomar and parts of Corona, cities Calvert represented in the 41st District.

According to reports, Kim already represents more than 174,000 registered voters who reside in the redrawn 40th Congressional District. She’s also the only member of Congress who represents a district that includes both Orange and Riverside counties, her team said, “giving her strong, broad-based support heading into the election," according to the Press Enterprise.

Kim has $4.7 million in cash in her coffers to Calvert's $3 million.

It will be an unusual midterm race with two powerful Republicans facing off against each other. In the last election, Kim, as the incumbent, handily defeated Democrat Joe Kerr, a former firefighter with the Orange County Fire Authority, by a margin of almost 60,000 votes. Calvert's victory over Democrat Will Rollins was a much tighter margin, a mere 11,987 votes, according to Ballotpedia.org.

Other candidates signed up for the original 40th Congressional District race include a broad field of Democrats, including Kerr, Christina Gagnier, Nina Linh, Perry Meade, Lisa Ramirez, Paula Swift, Esther Kim Varet and American Independent Party candidate Maricar Payad and Christian Ahmed, no party preference.

Thus far, both Ramirez and Varet have stated that they will remain in the race, regardless of the Republican candidates.

The general election will take place on November 3, 2026.

Related:

Reps. Calvert, Issa Join Fellow Republicans In Outcry Against Prop. 50 Changes