This could be a humdinger! Cong. Ken Calvert is set to become Chair of the House Armed Services Committee when the GOP takes over Congress. Now, with the backing of Ric Grennell, State Senator Melissa Melendez has announced she is going to take on Calvert in the Primary. Thanks to redistricting this seat went from +9 GOP to +1GOP. Calvert is not a noted moderate, does the job for his district.
This could be an effort to push Calvert into retirement. But, it will be a very divisive race—could cause the seat to go Democrat in November. The Dems have been registering voters and the GOP has been talking about registration.
Watch this race—it will cause a lot of heartburn for the GOP.
Republican state Sen. Melissa Melendez to run for Congress against GOP incumbent Ken Calvert
Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun, 3/8/22
This year’s race to represent Palm Springs and other Coachella Valley cities in Congress is getting more crowded.
State Sen. Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, filed paperwork Monday with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters to run for California’s 41st congressional district, entering the fray in a race that already includes incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, one of the longest-serving members of Congress, and three Democrats.
The 41st District, which was created last year in California’s latest round of redistricting, includes Palm Springs, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert, along with Menifee, Norco and Corona in western Riverside County.
For the past decade, the entire Coachella Valley has fallen within a single congressional district, the 36th, represented since 2013 by Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta. Ruiz is now seeking re-election in the newly drawn 25th District, which includes Indio, Coachella, Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs, as well as Imperial County and a sliver of San Bernardino County.
Melendez, a Navy veteran who has represented the Coachella Valley in the state Senate since winning a special election in May 2020, cannot seek re-election due to term limits, and is inspired to seek a seat in Congress.
“I have immense respect for my opponent; however, when Ken Calvert was first elected to Congress, I was in the military serving my country during Operation Desert Storm,” Melendez told The Desert Sun. “Since then, two of my five children have gone on to serve in the U.S. Navy, yet our representation in Washington has remained the same.”
“This is a clear indication to me it’s time for fresh ideas when it comes to representing Riverside County in our nation’s capital,” she continued. “I’ll have further comments once the filing deadline closes on Friday.”
More:GOP Rep. Ken Calvert will seek re-election in new district that includes Palm Springs
More:Meet the three Democrats vying to challenge incumbent Ken Calvert for Congress
Calvert, who has represented pockets of Riverside County since 1993, said of the potential intraparty race: “No election is ever just handed to you.”
“They require hard work, talking to voters, and explaining why I’m the most qualified person to represent our region in Congress,” Calvert said in a statement. “That’s why I announced my candidacy the day after the new maps were finalized. I’ve been working every day since then to meet with voters, especially those in the portions of the district I don’t currently represent.”
Calvert also noted he has more than $1 million in his campaign account, as well as endorsements from the Riverside County Republican Party and the La Quinta-based East Valley Republican Women Patriots.
“I’m running for re-election because I have the experience and seniority that enables me to deliver results for Riverside County, as I have done for many years,” Calvert said.
Melendez, a former mayor of Lake Elsinore, previously represented the 67th District in California’s Assembly for eight years before winning election to the Senate in 2020. During her tenure in the Legislature, she has heavily criticized Democrats’ approach on issues such as homelessness and criminal justice.
She has also been a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, meeting with the president in May 2018 at the White House alongside other state Republicans.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Melendez has been an outspoken critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies. In late 2020, she introduced a proposal that would end Newsom’s declared state of emergency and thereby terminate the governor’s COVID-19 emergency powers. That resolution is now set for a Senate hearing on March 15.
Although Melendez has not made an official announcement about her plans, she received some encouragement to run from Richard Grenell, a part-time Coachella Valley resident and former ambassador to Germany under the Trump administration, in January.
“I am joining many others in encouraging our great state senator and MAGA patriot @senatormelendez to run for Congress,” Grenell said in a tweet. “We need Melissa. And I’m all in for her if she decides to run.”
The new district features a fairly even partisan split, with Republicans comprising 36.7% and Democrats making up 36.2% of its registered voters, according to Political Data Inc., a statewide voting analysis firm.
Candidates have until Friday to qualify for the ballot. If Melendez formally enters the race, she will not only face off against Calvert, but also at least three Democratic challengers — Shrina Kurani, Brandon Mosely and Will Rollins — in the June 7 primary election.
Rollins, who has led the Democrats in fundraising, received the endorsement of former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer on Tuesday.
The top two finishers in the primary will then face off in the general election on Nov. 8.
