'Dems Can't Catch a Break': CA-41 Called

Leah Barkoukis | November 15, 2022 7:00 AM

Republican Rep. Ken Calvert defeated his Democrat opponent Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, in California’s 41^st Congressional District, bringing Republicans one step closer to taking the House.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the district became more competitive this year due to the reconfiguring of congressional maps in the state and “the inclusion of one of the nation’s largest concentrations of LGBTQ voters.”

Decision Desk HQ projects Rep. Ken Calvert (R) wins re-election to the U.S. House in California’s 41st Congressional District.#DecisionMade: 9:01pm EST

Follow more results here: https://t.co/erllKAE1oN pic.twitter.com/DiGzo80A2N
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 15, 2022

As The Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman explained over the weekend, CA-41 was among the races being closely watched to decide the balance of power in the lower chamber.

Some positive news for Republicans in #CA41, where Rep. Ken Calvert (R) just extended his lead over Will Rollins (D) from 1,598 votes (1.2%) to 2,108 votes (1.5%).

Dem path to majority gets extremely tough without this race in their column.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 13, 2022

Between #AZ01, #AZ06 and #CA41, Dems' dreams of holding the House majority probably died tonight.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 14, 2022

“This election demonstrated that Riverside County voters are more interested in people serious about solving our challenges, than personal politics,” said Calvert, one of the longest-serving California GOP representatives. “It’s clear that this district, like our country, is narrowly divided on a partisan basis. I am proud of my record of delivering results for Riverside County by working in a bipartisan manner throughout my career.”

Republicans are now one seat away from reaching the 218 needed for a House majority.