Inland Empire's 41st congressional district among key races with nationwide impact
CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- One of the high-profile congressional battles in Southern California is the 41st district in the Inland Empire, featuring a rematch of Democrat Will Rollins trying to unseat incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert.
Rollins fell short by about 11,000 votes in his 2022 campaign to topple the Republican who has held the seat since 1993. But the challenger hopes his continued efforts, increased name recognition, and higher turnout in a presidential election are giving him a better shot this time around.
The district encompasses communities that include Corona, Menifee, Lake Elsinore and Palm Springs.
Millions of dollars have been spent in a district which experts say is vulnerable to flipping and therefore impacting the national balance of power in Congress.
The two candidates spent Tuesday crossing the district and thanking their supporters and volunteers.
Calvert said if re-elected he will prioritize energy production to help keep inflation in check.
"First thing we need to do is bring the price of gasoline down and groceries," Calvert said. "The fastest way to do that is get energy costs down. I want to work to make sure we get the legislation done to do exactly that. That means more production of oil and gas, and all energy. Bring down the cost of energy which is I think the biggest contributor to inflation."
Rollins said fighting corruption in Congress and imposing term limits is a priority, in addition to improving the state's housing situation.
"In addition to lowering the cost of housing for people in California, we gotta get some folks who want to fight corruption in both parties in Washington," Rollins said.
If history is a guide, projecting a winner in this race could take several days.
