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    • Speaker Calvert Leads Rollins in California’s 41st Congressional District Race – Press Enterprise
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    Speaker Calvert Leads Rollins in California’s 41st Congressional District Race – Press Enterprise

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    Rep. Ken Calvert, D-Corona, overcame an election night deficit early Wednesday morning, Nov. 6, to take the lead over Democrat Will Rollins in a race for an Inland House seat considered crucial in the battle for control of Congress.

    According to unofficial election results posted by california secretary of state at 5:34 PM on WedCalvert led Rollins 51.4% to 48.6%, a slight increase for Calvert from Wednesday morning.

    Calvert trailed in the published results after the polls closed after 8pm on Tuesday, November 5. Thousands of ballots remain to be counted in a process expected to take days, if not longer.

    The next update from the Riverside County Register of Voters is expected at 6:00 p.m. Thursday, November 7.

    Rollins in a statement Tuesday night applauded the turnout and thanked supporters.

    “My team and I are deeply grateful to everyone who donated their time and money to support our campaign, and especially to everyone who voted to help us flip the 41st,” Rollins said. “In the coming days, we will continue to closely monitor the election results and provide additional updates.”

    In a statement Tuesday night, Calvert, who beat Rollins two years agosaid he wanted to “express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has stood by me, fought alongside me, and trusted me to continue to advocate for them in Congress.”

    He concluded by saying: “This campaign has been about more choices. It was about upholding common sense and putting our country on a better path forward. While a significant number of votes remain to be counted, I am confident in the direction we are headed and that once every legal vote is counted, we will win this race.”

    Calvert and Rollins vied for the right to represent California’s 41st Congressional District, which includes cities in the Coachella Valley, Calimesa, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Norco, Wildomar and parts of Corona, Eastvale and Riverside.

    LIVE ELECTION RESULTS: See a graph with the latest vote counts

    Race became one of the nation’s most closely watched due to the 41st’s swing district status. In September, 36.99% of the district’s voters were registered Republicans, while 36.38% were registered Democrats, state records show.

    That made her a tempting target for Democrats hoping to flip a few seats to wrest the House majority from the GOP. On the other hand, protecting Calvert has become a top priority for Republicans in Washington, DC

    As a result, the 41st became one of the nation’s the most expensive House raceswith both candidates standing up over 17 million dollars in one place — a figure that doesn’t include spending by super PACs and other Republican- and Democratic-aligned groups.

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    Hundreds listen as Democratic congressional candidate Will Rollins speaks during an election night party at the Thompson Hotel in Palm Springs, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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    The spending fueled a flurry of phone calls, door-to-door canvassers and political ads on TV and social media — most of them scathing in tone. Pro-Calvert ads called Rollins a habitual liar with tenuous ties to the district who inflated his accomplishments as a federal prosecutor.

    Calvert also tried to link Rollins to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the governor. Gavin Newsom — both villains on the right — in an effort to increase conservative voter turnout.

    Rollins, for his part, promoted an image of Calvert as a corrupt congressman who he claimed steered federal funds in a way that he backed his real estate investments. Calvert, Rollins said, is a far-right extremist beholden to Donald Trump, who has done nothing to lower the cost of living.

    First elected in the early 1990s, Calvert is accustomed to easily winning re-election in safe Republican districts. This time, he found himself fighting for his political life against Rollins, who outscored his opponent and received additional help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

    To avoid losing to Calvert again, Rollins had to pick up votes in the Coachella Valley, home to a Democratic stronghold in Palm Springs, while limiting his losses elsewhere.

    Western part of the 41st century it includes GOP-friendly cities like Norco, Canyon Lake and Menifee, as well as cities with slight Democratic majorities in Corona, Eastvale and Lake Elsinore.

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