California — 40th District

If Kim holds on to her lead, the loser of the intraparty clash in November will become one of the Republican casualties of California voters’ passage of Proposition 50, a 2025 ballot measure backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and state Democrats that aimed to further shrink GOP representation in an already deep-blue state. Democrats currently dominate California’s U.S. House delegation 43-9, and under district lines taking effect in the 2026 cycle, they could plausibly expand that advantage to 48 seats.

The winners of Tuesday’s primary in California’s 40th Congressional District are fighting to represent the newly configured District 40, a sprawling region southeast of Los Angeles that stretches across Orange County suburbs, parts of Riverside County, and mountain communities along the Santa Ana range. Once considered competitive territory, the district was transformed into safe Republican ground after Democratic mapmakers packed it with conservative voters siphoned from neighboring GOP seats.

Calvert, 72, is the longest-serving Republican in California’s congressional delegation. He has spent 33 years in Congress, survived two rounds of redistricting, and says he is not intimidated by another political fight, especially against Kim.

“I’m the only real, true Trump conservative,” he told the Washington Examiner. “I’ve been endorsed twice by the president. I work with him, and not only that, I’ve done more in bringing federal dollars back to California than any member of Congress, I think, in history.”

CALIFORNIA GOP INCUMBENTS GO TO WAR IN TRUMP LOYALTY TEST

But Kim, 63, has made clear she has no intention of leaving Congress after nearly six years in office. Backed by strong fundraising, she argues it is time for Calvert’s decadeslong tenure to end.

“How many more decades does he need to get things done?” Kim told the Washington Examiner. “The reality is that Calvert has had enough time to prove himself, and after 30 years, he simply has not.”