Overview
- The Associated Press formally declared Rep. Ken Calvert the winner late Monday in the closely fought race for the newly redrawn 40th Congressional District, and Rep. Young Kim has not immediately conceded.
- The matchup was created by Proposition 50, which combined parts of Orange and Riverside counties into a single seat that forced two incumbent Republicans to run against one another.
- Calvert kept roughly half of his prior constituents in the new map while Kim retained about a third, a split that analysts say gave Calvert an incumbency edge in the contest.
- Fundraising and outside money were central: Kim raised about $10 million to Calvert’s $7 million, but Americans 4 Security PAC spent more than $6 million supporting Calvert with targeted mailers whose donors include two executives tied to Palantir.
- Calvert’s victory preserves the longest-serving Republican voice from California in the House and underscores how redistricting and big outside spending can decide tight intra-party fights as officials move toward final certification of the result.