Young Kim

Republican incumbents Ken Calvert and Young Kim are facing off to keep their seats in Congress and represent California’s 40th District.

The seat, which blends portions of Calvert‘s and Kim’s current districts, reaches from Mission Viejo in Orange County into Woodcrest, Menifee and Murrieta in Riverside County.

The district was redrawn under Proposition 50, the ballot measure that passed last year to reconfigure the boundaries of the state’s congressional districts, resulting in a race that pits the two Republicans against one another.

California’s general election takes place on Novemer 3. Learn about L.A.’s city and county races as well races for state office.

Ken Calvert: Republican incumbent in Congress

Calvert is a Corona native who was first elected to Congress in 1992, making him the longest-serving GOP member of California’s congressional delegation. He serves as a senior member of the House Committee on Appropriations and is a Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Young Kim: Republican incumbent in Congress

Kim was one of three Korean American women who were the first to be elected to Congress in 2020. She won reelection in 2022 and 2024. Kim serves on the House Foreign Affairs and the House Financial Services committees and the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Last year, Kim was one of the sponsors of the Community Investment and Prosperity Act, a proposed law that later was encompassed in another piece of legislation that expanded banks’ ability to invest in communities in a way that promotes economic development and the public good. The law allows national and state member banks to invest up to 20% of their capital and surplus in affordable housing, small business lending and community revitalization.

“Families across California have felt the effects of rising costs for years. From delivering meaningful tax relief to supporting commonsense housing and energy reforms, I remain committed to fighting for opportunity and economic security that put Californians first,” Kim said in a press release issued by Americans for Prosperity in May.

Calvert sees affordability as the biggest challenge facing families and blames Sacramento for the rising costs and “driving businesses out of the state.” He points to his vote in support of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which maintained many of the tax cuts in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and raised the State And Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap.

“My priority is fighting to lower everyday costs, help families keep more of what they earn and supporting policies that fuel economic growth, which in turn provides higher wages and more opportunities for California families and workers,” he said.

In a statement published by the Orange County Register in March, Kim praised President Trump’s response to Iran, saying he took “decisive action in response to the Iranian regime’s refusal to dismantle its nuclear program and end its reign of terror against the United States.” She said Iran never should be allowed to posses a weapon of mass destruction.

Still, she added that Congress should continue to be informed of overseas actions and “exercise its oversight responsibilities.”

Calvert is supportive of Trump’s actions in the Middle East, telling The Times that “the best way to prevent wars is to make our enemies think twice about starting one.”

As chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, he said he’s worked to rebuild the military and boost technology. He said adversaries had stopped fearing America and that allowed Iran to fund terrorism and pursue a nuclear weapon.

“Iran has been the biggest impediment to peace in the Middle East while also being the largest funder of several proxy terrorists groups that have killed thousands of Americans,” he said.

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