Incumbent Ken Calvert (R) and Will Rollins (D) are running in the general election for California’s 41st Congressional District on November 5, 2024. This is a rematch of the 2022 election.
Calvert was first elected to the U.S. House in 1992, and he has represented various districts due to redistricting. He was first elected to California’s 41st Congressional District in 2022, defeating Rollins 52.3% to 47.7%.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) funded a field office in the district to support Calvert. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is supporting Rollins as part of its Red to Blue program that backs challengers to Republican incumbents.
As of July 8, 2024, four major election forecasters differed in their ratings for this contest, with predictions varying from Toss-Up to Likely Republican.
According to the Los Angeles Times, “Both sides say this year’s race will likely be dominated by kitchen-table issues including the daily cost of living, crime and housing.” Politico reported that “tough-on-crime policies have emerged as a central issue in the race.” After the primary, the Palm Springs Police Officers Association endorsed Rollins, citing his career in law enforcement. The association endorsed Calvert in 2022. The police officer associations of Menifee, Corona, and Riverside endorsed Calvert.
Calvert was a small business owner before being elected. Calvert is running on his political experience, highlighting his membership on the House Committee on Appropriations and his role as chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Calvert says he has secured funding for “transportation, water, and clean air projects for Riverside County.” Calvert says he believes illegal immigration is a crisis that has fueled drug trafficking into Southern California. Calvert says he supports small businesses and opposes taxes and regulations that limit economic growth.
Rollins is an attorney who previously worked as a federal prosecutor and an assistant U.S. Attorney. Rollins is running on his experience as a terrorism prosecutor, saying he has “been on the front lines in the fight against extremism.” Highlighting his law enforcement background, Rollins says he supports funding law enforcement and enacting gun safety laws to promote public safety. Rollins says he supports a federal law that would codify a right to abortion access. Rollins says he supports gay rights and that “Ken Calvert can’t be trusted to support the LGBTQ community.”
All 435 U.S. House seats are up for election in 2024. Republicans have a 220 to 213 majority with two vacancies. As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) beat Joe Biden (D) 49.7%-48.6%.
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