LOS ANGELES (AP) – In the fight for US homes, Democrats hope that the power of pop rock stars will help oust Los Angeles’ longtime Republican east.
Tim Myers, a former bassist for Grammy-nominated international hit maker Onele Public, announced Thursday that he will be challenging Senator Kencalvert in the Battlegrounds 41st district in Laverb County.
“Ken Calvert has been in Washington for 30 years,” Myers says in a video announcing his campaign. “The situation is not working.”
Christian Martinez, a spokesman for the House Republican campaign division, said in a statement from “Democrat Tim Myers is all wrong with today’s radical left: Hollywood liberals trying to forge their way to Riverside County.”
Myers grew up in the coronavirus, most of which are located in the district, but now lives in nearby Los Angeles County.
At a time when competitive house contests are narrowing nationwide, Democrats are considering one of the party’s finest opportunities to win Calvert’s closely divided California district in a room where Republicans hold a vulnerable 220-213 majority.
With Democrats under Republican control, Congress and the White House face a difficult fight to take the Senate in 2026, California’s contest will become even more important as Democrats’ operations to seize the House to provide counterweight to the Trump administration on immigration-to-environment issues.
A prolific producer, songwriter and solo artist, Myers positions himself as a change agent in a race with one of the most advanced members of the family. Myers, 40, said he was a sophomore when Calvert, the longest Republican on the state legislative delegation, was first elected in 1992.
The video, which appears to have been filmed in a recording studio, recalls raising the pastor’s son in COVID-19, on the western edge of the Southern California area. He spoke about the ups and downs of the infamous cutthroat music business, and he eventually found his own record label. He currently lives in the Tony Enclave on a hidden hill in nearby Los Angeles County.
Myers denies Trump’s policies, he says, hurting veterans and raising consumer prices.
“Our community is homeowner’s priced, food is more expensive each week, and we are constantly under threat from wildfires and rising crime,” Myers said in a statement. “It’s time for change.”
Republicans have a small registration advantage in the district, with less than two points over Democrats, and Calvert has beaten the tough challenges in the last two elections. Calvert dominated the edge of about three points in 2024. In the same year, Trump scored six points through Democrat Kamala Harris, a former California Senator and attorney general.
The House Democrats’ campaign division was in 2024, so they nominated Calvert as their top target in 2026. Calvert’s campaign raised more than $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2025.
California is known as a liberal guardian. Democrats hold offices all statewide, dominating Congressional and Congressional delegations, outperforming registered Republicans by a staggering 2-1 ratio. Still, Republicans hold vast country stretches, including politically influential pockets in the Southern California suburbs, as well as Central Valley Farm Belts.
In 2024, a tough year for Democrats nationwide, the party won a House seat held by three California GOPs.
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