Dear Sang,

Three Democratic candidates who mounted high-profile challenges to Republican lawmakers in the Inland Empire fell behind as election results rolled out, with about three-quarters of ballots counted as of Tuesday.

Rep. Ken Calvert, a Republican who has represented parts of Riverside County for more than three decades, was leading challenger Will Rollins in a rematch of their 2022 race for California’s 41st Congressional District. The Associated Press hasn’t called the race yet, but Calvert claimed victory on his social media accounts Monday, thanking Riverside County voters who have “once again placed their trust in me.”

Rollins wasn’t giving up. There could still be at least 80,000 votes left to count between mail ballots and conditional ballots, he said in a statement Monday, declaring the race “too close to call.” 

The Rollins campaign cited discrepancies in the total number of ballots the Riverside County Registrar of Voters has reportedly received by mail. There are more than 40,000 unprocessed ballots from the district, more than 35,000 uncounted ballots and more than 11,000 conditional ballots, his campaign estimated.

The 41st District also has the highest number of "uncured" ballots — those with small technical errors — of any competitive congressional race in California. Rollins argues the remaining ballots could still move the needle on the race.

“Our campaign is following the election results extremely closely, with eyes and ears at the Registrar of Voters every single day,” Rollins said. 

His challenge to Calvert was one of a handful of swing races that could decide which party controls the House of Representatives. But Republicans are well on their way to taking both the House and Senate, along with the White House, regardless of final results in the Inland Empire.

Palm Springs Councilmember Lisa Middleton conceded her race for California’s new 19th Senate District to incumbent State Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh. The candidates were statistically tied when polls closed last week, but Ochoa Bogh’s lead widened in the following days to more than 7 points Tuesday.

“I congratulate my opponent Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh,” Middleton said in a statement. “I wish her success and promise cooperation in representing the people of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties…. We have lost a race. We remain steadfast to our values. I will continue to work with all who are committed to freedom, fairness, and opportunity for all.”

And Republican Assemblymember Greg Wallis inched ahead of Palm Springs City Councilmember Christy Holstege by a fraction of a point in the race for the 47th state Assembly District, reversing her slight lead. That race, divided by just a few hundred votes, is still listed as a close contest on the Secretary of State’s website.

The state Senate and Assembly races won't change the political equation in California’s legislature, where Democrats still hold a supermajority.

However, all three races dampen their supporters’ hopes of increasing LGBTQ representation in California. Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, is gay. Middleton is a former state administrator, and hoped to become the first transgender lawmaker in California if elected. Holstege, a civil rights attorney, identifies as bisexual.

None of them made sexual or gender identity a centerpiece of their campaigns, instead focusing on issues such as infrastructure, the environment and public safety. But LGBTQ leaders in the Coachella Valley, which is part of all three districts, said they’re bracing for rollbacks of civil rights including attacks on same-sex marriage and transgender protections under a second Trump administration, the Desert Sun reported. 

Three trustee districts in Coachella Valley Unified School District were accidentally left off the ballot, and Imperial County may hold a special election for about 2,400 registered voters to fix that. The trustee areas include Coachella, Thermal, Mecca and North Shore, near the Salton Sea, the Desert Sun reported.

A Riverside County court ordered its election officials not to count or release the votes until Imperial County holds the special election, the district’s emergency operations director Cindy Harrison stated in a Facebook post. She said that was the best way to “protect the sanctity of the election process and ensure a fair result to the voters and the candidates.”

The glitch occurred amid declining trust in elections, which political experts say can increase the risk of violent conflict and decrease voter participation. 

Immigrant workers in the Coachella Valley say economic stability, mental health services and healthcare access are three of their biggest health concerns, according to a recent report by the University of California’s Possibility Lab. The report, “Health and Harvest,” examined how Latino immigrants working on farms, in warehouses and service jobs viewed their healthcare needs. 

“Undocumented immigrants often experience high levels of stress and anxiety due to fear of deportation and unstable living conditions,” but lack access to mental health services, the report stated. Chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease are common.

“The pandemic further highlighted the vulnerability of undocumented immigrants to infectious diseases, as they often work in high-risk environments without adequate protective measures,” the report stated.

Thanks for reading,