Rep. Ken Calvert defeated fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim in the race to represent California’s newly redrawn 40th Congressional District, Politico reported.
Incumbent Battle in Orange County
The contest pitted two sitting GOP members against each other for one of California’s few remaining safely red seats. Kim, a three-term House member, had previously cast herself as a moderate while holding a battleground seat in purple Orange County.
Following boundary changes, she decided to seek a seat stretching far into Calvert’s traditional base within the Inland Empire. Calvert ultimately defeated her after pillorying her for being insufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump, according to Politico.
Originating from Corona, Calvert currently holds the distinction of being the most tenured Republican representing California in the congressional delegation. He was first elected to Congress in 1992 and has represented four different districts during his tenure in office, CBS News reported.
Primary Campaign Tactics
During the primary campaign, Kim ran to the right in an attempt to position herself as the race’s only MAGA champion. Having scraped through to the next round, she scrubbed mentions of the president off her campaign website to seemingly court moderate and left-leaning voters.
Calvert called out Kim for being two-faced
for her wavering support of President Trump ahead of the primary election, CBS News reported. In the primary vote, Calvert received nearly 35% of the support, while Kim secured just under 21%.
The race turned contentious as the candidates traded jabs on the campaign trail. Kim demanded an apology from Calvert for a campaign advertisement claiming she was compromised by the Chinese Communist Party, according to CBS News.
Endorsements and Conservative Support
President Trump did not make an endorsement in the primary matchup. However, Calvert maintained a closer historical relationship with the president and largely consolidated support from conservative groups and officials after announcing his bid against a fellow incumbent.
The defense industry-aligned Americans 4 Security PAC poured millions of dollars into helping Calvert, who serves as the chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Politico reported. Calvert also serves as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and as the Dean and Chairman of the California Republican House Delegation.
Kim received endorsements from retired Rep. Ed Royce, state senators Brian Jones, Steven Choi, Shannon Grove, and Suzette Valladares, along with the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, according to CBS News.
