In heavily Democratic California, 2 GOP House rivals grapple in nasty fight over Trump loyalty

CORONA, Calif. (AP) — No one would call California Trump country. But a vicious U.S. House primary is playing out southeast of Los Angeles where two Republican incumbents wedged into the same district are fighting over their MAGA bona fides and loyalty to the president.

Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest serving Republican in the state’s House delegation, is running ads calling rival Rep. Young Kim a “traitor” to President Donald Trump and “a liberal and a liar.” His ads resurface past video clips of her criticizing Trump.

After once stressing her independence from the White House, Kim has dubbed herself a “Trump Republican” and aired spots accusing Calvert of “sabotaging President Trump’s agenda” and only “serving himself.” She claimed that he has been in “lockstep with Nancy Pelosi,” the former Democratic House speaker widely reviled by Republicans.

The acidic tone of the advertising in heavy media rotation from two House members who previously were friendly colleagues underscores the stakes in a race neither of them wanted. The June 2 primary is the first since Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed to redraw the California’s congressional map as part of a national redistricting fight, with the goal of winning Democrats five more House seats in the state.

The Republican-versus-Republican contest in one of the few conservative districts left in liberal-leaning California is one example of how the electoral landscape has been reshaped across the country.

2 Republicans fight it out in a new district

The race stands out nationally: Calvert and Kim are the only Republican House incumbents facing each other in the 2026 primaries. In Texas, Democratic Reps. Al Green and Christine Menefee are also facing each other due to redistricting.

The contest is displaying how many Republicans still embrace the president even as his popularity has slipped amid the war in Iran and climbing consumer prices.

Democrats nationally have been encouraged by a string of election results in advance of the midterms, which typically favor the party not holding the presidency. Trump, meanwhile, has reinforced his continuing party clout by ousting several incumbents who ran afoul of the White House. Republicans hold a fragile 217-212 majority in the House, with one independent and five vacancies.

At a recent weekend barbecue hosted by conservative activists in Calvert’s hometown of Corona, retiree and Trump supporter Mike Rutland said he remained undecided amid the torrent of negative advertising from both sides in the race. Mail voting is underway.

“I want my state back,” Rutland said, lamenting years of Democratic control. As for the primary, he added that “we don’t want any RINOs,” using a pejorative term that is an acronym for “Republicans in name only.”

The national battle over for the House continues, with more states maneuvering to reshape districts for partisan advantage following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened the federal Voting Rights Act and provided grounds for states to try to eliminate voting districts with large minority populations. In California the new House map has shaken the Republican ranks at a time when the outcome in a single district could determine control.

Long-serving GOP Rep. Darrell Issa announced in March that he would retire rather than compete in a redrawn district favoring Democrats. Former Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley became an independent in the face of a tough reelection fight in a Democratic-leaning district. And GOP Rep. David Valadao is seeking another term in his Central Valley district where Democratic registration was pumped up to try to drive him out.

A warmup for November?

For Calvert and Kim, it’s possible the election in a district that runs through inland Riverside and Orange counties could be a warmup for a one-on-one rematch in November — California law permits the two candidates who receive the most primary votes to advance to the general election, regardless of party. There are five Democrats on the ballot and an independent, but it’s possible that only the two Republicans would advance given the nearly 9-point GOP voter registration edge in the district.

In a state where Republicans have not won a statewide election in two decades, the GOP-leaning district is a vestige from an earlier time — Orange County was once one of the most solidly Republican places in the U.S., dubbed Reagan country for its ties to former Republican President Ronald Reagan.

GOP strategist Jon Fleischman, a former executive director of the California Republican Party, said both candidates are “giving President Trump a very big bear hug.” But if they both advance to November, a key question then will be, “Where do all the Democrats and nonconservative voters end up?”

“I think it’s going to be ugly,” Fleischman said.

In a preview of what could come, voters have been getting mail from Kim’s campaign alleging that Calvert voted to “force taxpayers to fund sex change operations for children,” a claim that Calvert’s camp says is fiction. For its part his campaign is pointing to Kim’s Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, calling her a “Trump betrayer.”

“I’m not personalizing it. I’m just pointing out somebody’s record,” Calvert said of her support for the resolution during an interview at the barbecue lunch.

Calvert, first elected in 1992, has represented territory that makes up more than half the redrawn district, and he sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee.

Kim was born in South Korea, grew up in Guam and came to California for college. She became a small-business owner and got elected to the state Assembly and then Congress.

Running for the House in 2018, she emphasized her independence from Trump’s White House on issues like trade. “I’m a different kind of candidate,” she told The Associated Press at the time.

Now Kim has vowed on her website to “stand with President Trump.”

“The great American comeback depends on it,” she said.