Last year Republican Rep. Ken Calvert fended off a challenge by former federal prosecutor and Democrat Will Rollins, holding onto his Inland Empire seat by a 3% margin. 

Rollins, who also failed to unseat Calvert in 2022 and 2024, is not running again in 2026. 

But seven other Democrats and one Republican are challenging Calvert for his Riverside County seat in one of California’s key swing districts.

Calvert is the longest-serving GOP member of California’s delegation and has held office for three decades in what was once a reliably conservative district. But recent redistricting made it closer to an even split. In February, Republicans held less than a two-point voter registration edge over Democrats, according to the California Secretary of State. 

Calvert’s campaign brushed off the challenges, saying he expects to prevail again next year. 

“It’s clear by the growing list of radical liberals jumping in the 41st District race that Democrats are in disarray,” his campaign said in a statement to CalMatters. “Rep. Calvert continues to deliver results for his constituents and just recently fulfilled his promise to lower taxes for Riverside County voters.”

Cody Wiebelhaus, a Palm Springs health care executive, is his Republican challenger.

The seven Democratic candidates include attorney Anuj Dixit, school board member Abel Chavez, entrepreneur Brandon Riker, investment banker Dave Karson, software engineer Jason Byors, small business owner Ferguson Porter and musician Tim Meyers, formerly the bassist for the pop band OneRepublic.

Some are tying Calvert to President Donald Trump’s tariffs and federal funding cuts in campaign messages. 

Republicans are “trying to repackage the same old politics with shiny words and hidden agendas,” Chavez said in a video, referring to the GOP budget bill that reduces taxes for many while slashing social services.

Meyers argues on his website that Calvert has not delivered for constituents, as the Trump administration has waged trade wars and cut cancer research and veterans’ services.

“Our Congressman, Ken Calvert, has spent his entire career running for office, rather than solving problems for working families,” Meyers said on his website. 

The seat is one of a handful that could flip the balance of power in the midterm election. The top two vote-getters in the June 2 primary next year will face off in the general election.

Dixit grew up on March Air Force Base and has worked as a lawyer defending voters against “extreme and illegal forms of gerrymandering,” he stated on his campaign website.

He said he’s trying to “shake up a system that’s been rigged for decades by insiders” and pledges to “go after big businesses that buy elections and dodge taxes.” 

Chavez grew up in the Riverside County communities of Romoland and Nuevo, California. He went into business and banking, then became a high school science teacher, but said he saw flaws in the schools.

“Underfunded schools, outdated curricula, and rigid bureaucratic policies were preventing students from truly thriving,” he stated on his website.

In 2022 Chavez became a board member for Nuview Union School District, a small district in Nuevo, California. He advocates for education reform and wants to help first-time home buyers.

Riker is a fourth-generation Californian who works as an investment manager and entrepreneur. He became involved in politics by demonstrating against the Iraq war as a teenager, he stated on his website. 

In 2008 he worked as an organizer for former President Barack Obama’s campaign. Now he serves on the board of SafePlace International, which works to find safe spaces for LGBTQ people around the world. His priorities are helping small businesses and improving education.

Pop rock star Meyers grew up in Corona and played for OneRepublic before founding his own label, Palladium Records. He lives in a neighboring area of Los Angeles County now, but unlike California state representatives, congress members don’t need to live in the district they represent. 

Meyers said in a campaign video the cutthroat business environment he experienced in the entertainment industry mirrors the country’s economic system, where he says “the playing field is stacked against hard working people.”

Though campaign finance reports for most of the challengers aren’t available, some have announced early fundraising windfalls. On April 3, Riker stated on his campaign website he raised $250,000 from individual donors during the first 24 hours of his campaign. Dixit reported he raised $150,000 shortly after jumping into the race, according to Politico.

They’ll have to catch up with Calvert, whose campaign committee reported $1.3 million in contributions and transfers, according to the Federal Election Commission. 

Redlands schools are approaching a deadline to show progress in remedying sexual abuse problems, after a state investigation found the district was negligent about handling such cases, the Redlands Daily Facts reported.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced in May 2024 that his office found the district systematically violated laws in its handling of sexual assault, harassment and abuse complaints. A month earlier, the district reached a $45.5 million settlement of 16 sexual abuse lawsuits from former students.

The district was placed under at least five years of oversight by the courts and the attorney general and ordered to make “wide-ranging” reforms. A report on those reforms is due in June. 

The Palm Springs International Airport has a $2.5 billion economic impact on the region and supports 18,377 jobs, according to a study commissioned by the airport. 

The airport is preparing for a $2.2 billion renovation. The study found that visitors using the airport made $1.1 billion in purchases, which had "multiplier effects" throughout the region, the Desert Sun reported, including purchases by employees and owners of restaurants and hotels.

Thanks for reading. While you are here, please sign up for the Inland Empire newsletter and let me know what kinds of stories you’d love to read.

And please add my email to your contacts:  inlandempire@calmatters.org

Thanks for reading,