Ken Calvert ousted Young Kim of Congress after a treacherous race between two GOP incumbents for one of the few remaining safely red seats in California.
Kim, a three-term House member, ran as a moderate while holding a battleground seat in purple Orange County. But after redistricting, she chose to run in a district that cut deep into Calvert’s territory in the Inland Empire, and was defeated when Calvert pilloried her for her lack of loyalty to the president. Donald Trump.
Kim ran to the right in the primary, attempting to position herself as the race’s only MAGA champion. After narrowly advancing, she removed references to the president from her campaign site in an apparent appeal to centrist and Democratic-leaning voters.
Trump did not endorse the race, but Calvert has historically enjoyed a closer relationship with the president and largely consolidated support from conservative groups and officials after announcing he would take on another incumbent president. The defense industry-aligned Americans 4 Security PAC has invested millions to help Calvert, who chairs the House defense appropriations subcommittee.
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