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Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest-serving Republican in California’s congressional delegation, will return to the House next year after defeating Democrat Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, in a tight race to represent a battleground district in Riverside County.
Calvert’s narrow victory comes amid a decisive rightward shift in American politics, with voters sending President-elect Donald Trump back to the White House and Republicans seizing control of the Senate from Democrats.
The Associated Press called the race Wednesday, but official results will take more time. Calvert’s victory brings the House within one vote of a Republican majority, according to the Associated Press. Republicans took control of the Senate majority last week and the House majority late Wednesday.
Calvert declared victory in a statement posted to social media on Monday, saying, “This is a hard-fought victory that shows voters want someone who will deliver results in partisan politics.”
“Together, we will continue to work to secure our borders, lower prices for working families, and ensure law enforcement has all the tools necessary to keep our communities safe.” .
Rollins made the admission Wednesday night.
“Honestly, losing is the worst, especially after nearly three years in a row,” Rollins said in a video posted to social media. “But I’ll never regret running. Too many of us sit on our couches and complain about politics and the way campaigns are run, instead of getting off the sidelines and stepping into the arena ourselves.” That’s how I felt until I was 37.
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 seen as influential in determining which party controls the House 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.
Calvert, who has held the office for decades since 1993, has 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.
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.
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.
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