Politics & Government
Reps. Ken Calvert, Young Kim Lead In 40th Congressional District Primary Race
See live election results for the 40th Congressional District.
MURRIETA, CA — Riverside County voters have weighed in on congressional races, including a the 40th District contest that affects Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta, and Wildomar.
The race is an intraparty fight between Reps. Ken Calvert (R-Riverside County) and Young Kim (R-Orange County). Kim was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020, while Calvert was first elected in 1992.
The newly redrawn 40th District — a result of Prop. 50 — also includes Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Villa Park in Orange County.
Early returns in Riverside County show Calvert with a sizable lead, but in Orange County the two Republicans were neck and neck. See the California Secretary of State's updated tallies for the 40th Congressional District.
The Calvert and Kim campaigns spent significant ad dollars this primary season, in what appeared to be a contest of who is the most Trumpian MAGA of all.
The messaging likely worked in a fairly red district: the top two-vote getters in the June 2 primary, regardless of political party, will advance to the November runoff.
Early returns show Calvert and Kim as the two most likely to advance.
But ballots are still being counted, and one of these 40th District candidates could prevail:
- Nina Linh (No Party Preference), a businesswoman
- Francis Xavier Hoffman (Democrat), an attorney
- Joe Kerr (Democrat), a retired firefighter captain
- Lisa Ramirez (Democrat), an immigration attorney
- Esther Kim-Varet (Democrat), a businesswoman and educator
- Claude M Keissieh (Democratic), retired Army officer
Nationally, Republicans are entering the 2026 November midterms with only a slight majority over Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Redistricting and retirements have added significant uncertainty about which party will wrest control. All 435 House seats are up for election this year.
In November 2025, 64.4% of California voters approved Proposition 50, which redrew the state's congressional districts in favor of Democrats.
See live election results below for Orange and Riverside counties (scroll right to find each county's results in the 40th District; Orange County is the first dashboard, Riverside County is the second):
