RivCo Democrat Announces Bid To Unseat Rep. Ken Calvert In 2026

PALM DESERT, CA — A new Democratic challenger has stepped into the ring, hoping to wrangle Rep. Ken Calvert's three-decade run in the 41st District.

Jason Byors announced his candidacy this week for the 2026 primary and his determination to flip the region blue.

"I am unapologetically pro-struggling Americans, pro-democracy and pro-human rights," Byors wrote on his campaign website.

READ MORE: Pop Star Hopes To Dethrone RivCo Rep. Ken Calvert

In a news release obtained by multiple outlets, Byors said Calvert's "unwavering support of Donald Trump’s economic policies has galvanized Democrats and Independents seeking accountability."

Byors' and Calvert's respective campaigns did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Patch.

Byors says, if elected, he plans to tackle the following issues:

• Preserve Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security
• Restore the dignity of local veterans
• Protect women's reproductive healthcare rights
• Bring back defunded programs like cancer research and school lunches for children
• Champion the rights of marginalized Americans

Byors is among many Democrats and some Republicans who staunchly oppose President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill", which proposes major tax changes, immigration policies and cutbacks to social services like Medicaid and food stamps. The measure also guts key climate provisions from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, rolling back green energy tax credits.

“Ken Calvert appeared to be gleeful in his X.com post announcing that he voted for the reconciliation bill that rips health care from thousands of Riverside County residents who rely on Medicaid and Medicare while providing tax cuts to the ultra wealthy,” Byors said in a news release, as first reported by The Press-Enterprise.

“He does not represent the best interest of its residents.”

Byors is one of several other Democrats who have announced their intentions to challenge Calvert next year. Ferguson Porter, Abel Chavez, David Karson, Brandon Riker, Tim Myers, Anuj Dixit and Tiffanie Tate have also registered for the election. Meanwhile, just one Republican, Cody Michael Weibalhaus, is running against Calvert.

He has lived in the Southland since the 1990s and worked for companies like SONY Pictures, Toyota and 20th Century Fox TV, according to his news release.

"I will be brash, loud and boisterous in fighting for a country we all feel we are losing," Byors wrote on his website.

Calvert is the longest-serving member of Congress, representing cities in the Coachella Valley, along with Riverside, Eastvale, Menifee, Wildomar, Corona, Calimesa, Lake Elsinore and Norco since 1992.