When California Democrats first released the proposed congressional map for Prop 50 in September, it looked as if Rep. Young Kim, a Republican who represents Congressional District 40, dodged a bullet. 

When Prop 50 seeks to redraw the congressional district lines to favor Democrats, four to five Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be losing conservative cities and jurisdictions from their current districts. But the 40th congressional district, which currently includes Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Chino Hills and Laguna Hills, will include more moderate to conservative districts, such as Menifee and Murrieta, starting in 2026 with the projected passage of Prop 50.

That must have been good news for Rep. Kim, who beat her Democratic challenger by 40,000 votes in 2024 — until Wednesday: Rep. Ken Calvert, a longtime Republican congressman announced that he will run for newly redrawn Congressional District 40, instead of his current District 41. 

“Californians in the newly drawn 40th District deserve a proven conservative they can trust and a fighter who has delivered results for Riverside and Orange County for decades,” said Calvert in a statement. “No one else comes close to my record of service to the new 40th.”

2024 presidential election results in District 40

According to analyses performed by The Downballot. Zoom out to see other areas in California

Strong lean Trump
Moderate lean Trump
Mild lean Trump
Mild lean Harris
Moderate lean Harris
Strong lean Harris

Current legislative districts

New legislative districts

Calvert, whose current District 41 includes Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert, narrowly won reelection in 2024 with fewer than 10,000 votes and already filed paperwork to the Federal Election Commission to run for reelection in 2026.

But with the projected passage of Prop 50, Calvert’s team must have felt the need to pivot because winning newly redrawn Congressional District 41 would be much harder for the man who’s served in Congress for three decades as the new District 41 will include Downey, Bellflower, Lakewood and Santa Fe – local jurisdictions where Democrats have won by large margins in recent years.

Calvert’s office said the representative will represent over 50% of the new 40th district as he himself lives in the district. 

And despite his previous moderate stance on a number of issues, such as same-sex marriage, abortion and even support for possible legislation for “Dreamers,” Calvert signaled to go after Congressional District 40 on a  MAGA platform.

“I look forward to helping President Trump to deliver lower taxes, to bring down housing costs, secure our borders, make our streets safe and bring real results for the families of this district for years to come. Together, we will Make America Great Again,” Calvert said in a statement.

Rep. Kim, a Korean immigrant, has been a more moderate member of the Republican caucus, considering she comes from a purple district. While she is firmly conservative on fiscal issues and champions tax cuts and free market policies, Kim has supported the idea of creating a legal path to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.

Records also show Kim also established a reelection committee in April ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with about $4 million in cash on hand for the campaign. 

NBC Los Angeles reached out to Rep. Kim’s office for comments following Calvert’s announcement to run for District 40.