ABRAnews Open the whole story. Sign in
US Politics · 2026 midterm elections

Republican Rep. Calvert defeats fellow Republican Rep. Kim in redrawn California district

The Associated Press called the race on Monday after California's new Proposition 50 map put both incumbents in one seat, and Kim blamed Gov. Newsom.

8 news outlets reported this
Liberal3 outletsA fierce intraparty fight created by Proposition 50Center3 outletsThe result, the new map, primary rulesConservative2 outletsNewsom's gerrymander cost California Republicans seats
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min read
Overview

Republican Rep. Ken Calvert defeated fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim in California's 40th . The Associated Press called the race for Calvert on Monday, a week after the Nov. 3 election. With 71% of votes counted, he led 53.6% to 46.4%, according to the AP.

Calvert had declared victory on Thursday. The two ended up in the same district after California voters approved new House boundaries under , a Democratic-backed measure. The district spans parts of Orange and Riverside .

Calvert, first elected in 1992, is the longest-serving Republican in the state's House delegation. Kim congratulated him in a statement and said Gov. Gavin Newsom's "political scheme" forced two Republicans into the race. Roll Call reports the campaign was bitter: Calvert claimed Kim was no true conservative and backed tax increases, while Kim accused him of growing rich on stock trades.

Roll Call also reports Democrats are likely to hold 48 of California's 52 House seats next year. Fox News reports the state's Republican delegation drops from nine seats to three or four.

Key figures
  • 53.6% to 46.4%Calvert's and Kim's vote shares with 71% counted, per the APJust the News
  • $10 million to Calvert's $7 millionKim's campaign funds compared with Calvert'sLos Angeles Times
  • more than $6 millionspent by Americans 4 Security PAC to help CalvertLos Angeles Times
  • 48 of California's 52 House seatsseats Democrats are likely to hold next year, per Roll CallRoll Call

Three sides of the story

3Liberal3Center2Conservative

8 news outlets reported this

Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.

Liberal3 outlets

A fierce intraparty fight created by Proposition 50

The Los Angeles Times opens with Calvert having "survived a fierce reelection battle" against Kim. It explains that Proposition 50 put both in one seat, that Calvert kept about half of his constituents and Kim about a third, and that Calvert declared victory on Thursday while Kim did not concede. It reports Kim outspent Calvert, $10 million to $7 million, and that Americans 4 Security spent more than $6 million for him, including fliers to Democratic voters linking Kim and Trump.

It adds that registered Republicans are under 40% of the district. ABC News runs a wire report, also carried by The Seattle Times, that calls it a rare contest between two incumbents of one party who "fought over their bona fides." The New York Times headline calls it a "House Battle Between Two California Republicans" after redistricting.

Center3 outlets

The result, the new map, primary rules

Roll Call opens with Calvert defeating Kim in a redrawn district and says he led by 7 points when the AP called the race. It explains that the top-two primary let two Republicans advance, quotes Kim's statement singling out Newsom's "political redistricting scheme," and says Democrats flipped all five seats the map targeted. It adds that Democrats are likely to hold 48 of California's 52 seats and covers the Democrat-versus-Democrat races, including Rep. Jimmy Gomez's loss.

The Hill's headline says Calvert defeats Kim in the "merged 40th District," with a projection from Decision Desk HQ at 69 percent reporting and a race "determined" by Proposition 50. The Seattle Times runs the same wire report as ABC News, saying the AP declared Calvert the winner at 9:31 p.m. EST.

Conservative2 outlets

Newsom's gerrymander cost California Republicans seats

Fox News opens by saying the Newsom-signed redistricting "has scored at least a 2-for-1 consolidation of House Republicans," and its headline calls the district gerrymandered. It quotes Kim congratulating Calvert and blaming Newsom's scheme. It reports the delegation falling from nine seats to three or four and lists other California Republicans who lost or are leaving.

It says Kim pointed to an probe into some of Calvert's property deals and to complaints about his ethics, which he denied, and that he was never charged. It also quotes Calvert's earlier X post saying Californians were "sold a bill of goods." Just the News, citing Fox News, says gerrymandering pitted the incumbents against each other and removed one Republican from the delegation.

It gives the AP count of 53.6% to 46.4%.

What a side did not mention
  • Liberal outlets did not mentionKim's statement congratulating Calvert and blaming Newsom's redistricting for forcing the race Reported by Roll Call, Fox News
All sources: 10 articles from 8 outlets

Liberal (4)

Center (3)

Conservative (3)

2026 midterm elections
  1. Senate Republicans reelect Thune as leader and reject a push to delay the vote
  2. Republican Rep. Salazar wins Florida re-election after an automatic recount
  3. Republican Rep. Calvert defeats fellow Republican Rep. Kim in redrawn California districtThis story
  4. Democrats flip Georgia's state House, lifting their gain to at least 12 chambers
  5. Democratic wins in statehouses open a path to a national popular vote for president
All stories on this topic
Election district

The area whose voters elect one member of a legislature: a seat in the US House or in a state house or senate. The state draws its lines.

All terms →
Ballot measure

A law or constitutional change that voters approve or reject directly at the polls, alongside the candidates. Names vary by state: proposition, initiative, referendum, amendment.

All terms →
County

A division of a state, the main unit of local government. Counties run local courts, the sheriff and the count of votes in elections.

All terms →
Redistricting and gerrymandering

States redraw their election districts, normally after each ten-year census. Gerrymandering is drawing the lines to help one party, by packing the other side's voters into a few districts or spreading them thin. Both parties do it where they can.

All terms →
PAC and super PAC

A political action committee collects donations and gives them to candidates within legal limits. A super PAC may raise and spend unlimited money on ads, but may not give to candidates or coordinate with them.

All terms →
MAGA

“Make America Great Again”: Donald Trump's slogan since his first presidential campaign, now also the name of his political movement and its supporters.

All terms →
FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation: the main federal police and counterintelligence agency, part of the Justice Department.

All terms →