Gavin Newsom’s Gerrymander Pushes 32-Year GOP Rep Into Dogfight With Fellow Republican

Two Republican California lawmakers announced Wednesday they will run against each other after the state’s newly approved Democratic gerrymander drew them into the same district.

Republican California Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim both confirmed their intentions to run in the new 40th congressional district one day after Golden State voters soundly approved Proposition 50 — a measure to suspend California’s independent redistricting commission in favor of a partisan map drawn at the behest of the Democratic-dominated legislature. The effort, which will keep the gerrymander in place through the 2030 election, has been heavily pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to Texas’ decision to redraw its lines to create more Republican seats.

The new district Calvert and Kim are running in is significantly more Republican than the competitive seats they currently represent. If it had existed during the 2024 election cycle, the new 40th would have voted for Trump by 12 percentage points, according to the Washington Post.

“Californians in the newly drawn 40th District deserve a proven conservative they can trust and a fighter who has delivered results for Riverside and Orange County for decades. No one else comes close to my record of service to the new 40th,” Calvert said in a statement announcing his run under the new lines. “I look forward to helping President Trump to deliver lower taxes, to bring down housing costs, secure our borders, make our streets safe and bring real results to the families of this district for years to come.”

Calvert has served in Congress since 1993 and is the third-most senior lawmaker representing California after Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters. Trump won the lawmaker’s current district by 5.9 points in 2024.

Kim meanwhile touted her status as “one of the most prominent Republican fundraisers in Congress” and her “proven record of winning tough primary and general races,” in her office’s statement announcing her run.

“Kim currently represents nearly 175,000 registered voters in the new 40th district: approximately 35% of total registered voters and over 42% of all high-propensity Republican voters. Kim is also the only current California Member of Congress representing both Orange and Riverside counties, giving her strong, broad-based support heading into the election,” the statement read.

Trump carried Kim’s current district by 2.3 points in 2024.

“This cycle, Kim has broken personal fundraising records, raising over $5 million cycle-to-date with over 42,500 unique conservative grassroots donors. This surge of support shows voters want a proven America First champion like Kim to take the fight to the radical Democrats and help President Trump unleash the Golden Age and undo Joe Biden’s disastrous legacy,” added the statement from the congresswoman’s office.

Spokespersons for Calvert and Kim did not immediately respond to the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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