Democratic redistricting in Southern California has created a political crucible where two House Republicans are now locked in a surprisingly bitter fight that reveals fractures within the GOP and raises questions about party loyalty.
The unlikely opponents are Ken Calvert, a 30-year House veteran and powerful Appropriations Committee member, and Young Kim, a battle-tested incumbent who won her seat just four years ago. The new 40th District carved by state Democrats essentially forced a collision by combining territory from both of their current districts, leaving only one viable path forward for each in June's primary.
The conflict has become deeply personal. Calvert is attacking Kim as insufficiently conservative on immigration and, after the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, explicitly blamed her past criticism of the president for contributing to "the heated environment and violence we've seen." Kim has fired back, calling Calvert's campaign "desperate" and dismissing the charge as "absurd." She is instead hammering the veteran congressman as a creature of Washington who has spent three decades in office without results.
But the real tension stems from Kim's dramatic political pivot toward Trump. As recently as 2018, she distanced herself from the president, declaring she was "not running for the party of Trump" and criticizing his family separation policies. During his first term, she called his "Kung Flu" comment "insensitive" and sponsored a resolution to censure him after January 6. She voted against impeachment but made clear her reservations about his conduct.
Now on the airwaves, Kim is declaring she "backs President Trump 100%" and branding herself a "trusted Trump conservative." She recently traveled to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump on legislative priorities. The shift is unmistakable and jarring to anyone following her previous statements.
Calvert is seizing on this contradiction. "She's trying to reinvent herself," he said. "She tried to censure the president. She said he needed to be punished... She spent 10 years running away from him." His campaign has hammered the transformation with ads suggesting Kim's credibility on Trump support is hollow.
Kim's response has centered on attacking Calvert's record. "Is 30 years in office enough time to get things done? If not, how many more decades does Congressman Calvert need?" she asked. Calvert counters that seniority matters, especially in representing an area packed with defense contractors and military installations. He points to his role overseeing the defense budget and notes that no lawmaker has returned more resources to California.
The two also clash on immigration policy. Calvert, an early champion of E-Verify, has attacked Kim for supporting a bipartisan compromise bill that would provide a pathway to lawful permanent status for certain undocumented immigrants while increasing penalties for repeated border crossings. He has positioned himself as the true conservative on border security.
There is a striking irony in how personal the dispute has become. Calvert donated the maximum $10,000 to Kim's campaign last year, before redistricting made them enemies. He has since asked for the money back. Kim declined.
California's top-two primary system adds unpredictability to the race. Unlike traditional party primaries, all candidates appear on the same ballot, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election regardless of party affiliation. This means a Republican and a Democrat could still face off in November, or the two GOP rivals could meet in a general election runoff.
Political strategist Dave Gilliard said Kim's chief vulnerability remains her history with Trump, but a general election against a Democrat could allow her to "shift back toward the middle with a whole new group of voters." Calvert's best scenario, Gilliard suggested, would be facing a Democrat in November, which would likely end the race on primary day.
Rep. Darrell Issa, a retiring Southern California Republican, offered a wry observation about the whole affair. "Love and war have rules," he said. "Politics doesn't."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "This race exposes the California Republican trap: redistricting forced an internecine bloodbath where neither candidate can afford to look moderate, no matter their actual record or past positions."
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