A tight House race in Riverside County between Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest-serving Republican in California’s congressional delegation, and Democratic Rep. Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, is a close call. The race was too close to vote at night.
The race between Mr. Calvert and Mr. Rollins to represent California’s 41st Congressional District, which stretches from the sprawling city of Corona to the resorts and golf courses of the Coachella Valley, was expected to be a close contest. It was one of several races in California considered influential in determining which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
The contest drew national attention, with Louisiana’s Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson visiting Riverside County to support Mr. Calvert, and former President Trump also gathered at a polo field in the nearby Coachella Valley.
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Mr. Calvert held the office for decades, starting in 1993, and largely won re-election in what was once a safe conservative district. But recent redistricting has turned the district into a political battleground, removing Republican havens like Temecula and Murrieta and adding liberal Palm Springs, home to the nation’s largest concentration of LGBTQ+ voters.
In 2022, Rollins, 40, ran a competitive campaign in the newly redistricted district, but lost with less than 5% of the vote.
Rollins grew up in Manhattan Beach. He said the 9/11 terrorist attacks sparked an interest in public service. Mr. Rollins considered joining the military, but under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy at the time, he feared his secret homosexuality would be exposed or he would be discharged, so he decided not to join. I decided not to. Instead, he focused on national security at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Calvert, 71, of Corona, chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Pentagon’s budget. He authored legislation that created the E-Verify system, which employers can use to verify the immigration status of new employees. Supporters praise him for securing funding for local transportation and infrastructure projects and military facilities in the region.
