Veteran Rep Ken Calvert Defeats Young Kim in High-Stakes California Republican Primary
Veteran Republican Ken Calvert secures victory over Young Kim in California's 40th District. See the full details of the hard-fought primary battle.
POLICY WIRE — >CORONA, California —
Longtime Representative Ken Calvert has emerged victorious in a grueling reelection bid against his fellow Republican Young Kim in a newly reshaped district. The Associated Press announced Calvert’s win on Monday evening, one week after the election, though Kim has not yet officially issued a concession.
The two Trump supporters, previously viewed as allies, competed for control of one of state’s remaining Republican strongholds that spans both Orange and Riverside counties. The map was altered under Proposition 50, a voter-backed initiative intended to bolster Democratic numbers, which ultimately forced Calvert and Kim into the same race.
Calvert, who is 73 years old, maintained approximately half of the constituents within the new district boundaries to secure his necessary edge. The 64-year-old Kim from Anaheim Hills retained about a third of her base. Calvert first took office in Congress in 1992, making him the longest-serving GOP member of California’s congressional delegation. He currently holds a senior position on the House Committee on Appropriations and chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
Kim, a highly effective fundraiser who defeated Democratic Representative Gil Cisneros in 2020 after losing to him two years prior, outspent Calvert during this cycle, raising a $10 million war chest compared to Calvert’s $7 million. Americans 4 Security PAC invested more than $6 million to ensure Calvert’s reelection, distributing literature to Democratic voters that linked Kim to Trump. While both candidates endorse the president, the materials were designed to discourage Democrats from supporting Kim.
Contributors to the PAC include two executives from Miami-based Palantir, a firm providing software utilized by the U.S. military. The 40th District extends from Mission Viejo in Orange County into Woodcrest, Menifee, and Murrieta in Riverside County. According to data from the California secretary of state’s office, registered Republicans represent less than 40% of voters in the current district. An additional 21% have no party preference, while Democratic voters account for roughly 31%.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)