California's 40th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 top-two primary)

	← 2024
California's 40th Congressional District
	Top-two primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: March 6, 2026
	Primary: June 2, 2026; General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Voting in California
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Solid Republican; DDHQ and The Hill: Pending; Inside Elections: Solid Republican; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
	U.S. Senate battlegrounds; U.S. House battlegrounds; Federal and state primary competitiveness; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
	California's 40th Congressional District; 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th • 28th • 29th • 30th • 31st • 32nd • 33rd • 34th • 35th • 36th • 37th • 38th • 39th • 40th • 41st • 42nd • 43rd • 44th • 45th • 46th • 47th • 48th • 49th • 50th • 51st • 52nd ; California elections, 2026; U.S. Congress elections, 2026; U.S. Senate elections, 2026; U.S. House elections, 2026; Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House raceArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House raceFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House raceOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House raceTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House raceVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House raceSubmit

California 2026 elections

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Ten candidates are running in the top-two primary for California's 40th Congressional District on June 2, 2026. Incumbent Ken Calvert (R), incumbent Young Kim (R), Joe Kerr (D), and Esther Kim Varet (D) lead in campaign fundraising and polling ahead of the election.

Currently, Calvert represents California's 41st Congressional District, and Kim represents the 40th District. The two incumbents were drawn into the same district as a result of Proposition 50, a redistricting amendment voters approved in November 2025. According to ABC7's Josh Haskell, Calvert represents 51% of the new district and Kim represents 35% of the new district.^[1] Based on 2024 presidential results, the new district is 10 percentage points more Republican than the old district.

Calvert was first elected to Congress in 1992. He earned his associate degree from Chaffey College and his bachelor's degree from San Diego State University. Before his election to Congress, Calvert was a small business owner in the restaurant and real estate industries.^[2]

Calvert is running on his record. His campaign website says, "Ken’s legislative work has received top ratings from the Americans for Tax Reform, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Businesses, National Association of Manufacturers, and the 60 Plus Association" and highlighted his legislation creating the E-Verify system to verify the legal status of employees, securing federal funding for transportation and environmental projects, and constituent services.^[3]^[4]

Kim was first elected to Congress in 2022. She earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California. She worked as a business owner, financial analyst, and staff for then-U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R).^[5] She represented District 65 of the California State Assembly from 2014-2016.

Kim is running on her record. Her campaign website says, "In Congress, I fight everyday to ensure President Trump has allies to undo the disastrous Joe Biden-Nancy Pelosi agenda that caused skyrocketing prices, rising crime, open the border, and a political class that does the bidding of the swamp instead of fighting for working families."^[6]

Kerr was a fire captain and Orange County Professional Firefighters Association president.^[7] On his campaign website, Kerr describes himself as "a firefighter, labor leader, and problem-solver who has spent my career protecting communities and fighting for working families."^[8]

Kerr says he is running for Congress "to take on the challenges that determine whether families can afford to live and thrive in our communities: lowering everyday costs, creating good-paying jobs, strengthening public safety, protecting healthcare and reproductive freedom, and ensuring government works for the people it serves."^[8]

Varet earned her bachelor's degree from Yale University and her master's degree and doctorate from Columbia University, each in art history.^[9] She owns the contemporary art gallery Various Small Fires.^[10]

Varet says she is running "because we can’t keep electing the same cynical career politicians and expecting different results. I’m a working mom, an entrepreneur, and a problem solver. I don’t just talk — I roll up my sleeves and get things done. And I’m not afraid to fight hard for the issues that matter."^[11]

California uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the general election.

This page focuses on California's 40th Congressional District's top-two primary. For more in-depth information on the district's general election, see the following page:

California's 40th Congressional District election, 2026

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list of candidates is unofficial. The filing deadline for this election has passed, and Ballotpedia is working to update this page with the official candidate list. This note will be removed once the official candidate list has been added.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for U.S. House California District 40

The following candidates are running in the primary for U.S. House California District 40 on June 2, 2026.

		Candidate
		Ken Calvert (R)
		Young Kim (R)
		Claude Keissieh (D)
		Joe Kerr (D)
		Eric Peterson (D)
		Lisa Ramirez (D)
		Esther Kim Varet (D)
	Submit photo	Maricar Payad (American Independent Party)
	Submit photo	Christian Ahmed (No party preference)
		Nina Linh (No party preference)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Voting information

See also: Voting in California

Election information in California: June 2, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

In-person: June 2, 2026
By mail: Postmarked by May 18, 2026
Online: May 18, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: N/A
By mail: N/A by N/A
Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: N/A
By mail: N/A by N/A

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

May 23, 2026 to June 1, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (PT)

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Ken Calvert

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

U.S. House (assumed office: 1993)

Biography: Calvert earned his associate's degree from Chaffey College and his bachelor's degree from San Diego University. He worked in the restaurant and real estate industries.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Calvert said he has the most service in the new 40th District: "Californians in the newly drawn 40th District deserve a proven conservative they can trust and a fighter who has delivered results for Riverside and Orange County for decades. No one else comes close to my record of service to the new 40th. I’ve lived here my entire life and already represent the majority of this district in Congress."

Calvert said he would support President Donald Trump's (R) agenda: "I look forward to helping President Trump to deliver lower taxes, to bring down housing costs, secure our borders, make our streets safe and bring real results for the families of this district for years to come. Together, we will Make America Great Again."

Calvert ran on his record in Congress. His campaign website said, "Ken was the author of legislation that created the E-Verify system, which is used to verify to legal status of newly hired employees. ... As our Congressman, Ken has successfully secured more than a billion dollars in federal funding for transportation, water, and clean air projects for Riverside County. Ken and his office have helped thousands of constituents to ensure veterans and seniors receive the benefits they deserve."

Show sources

Sources: Politico, "Republican incumbents set for face-off in redrawn California district post-Proposition 50," November 5, 2025; KESQ, "Rep. Ken Calvert announces campaign for new 40th District," November 5, 2025; Ken Calvert 2026 campaign website, "Meet Ken Calvert," accessed March 13, 2026; Congressman Ken Calvert, "Biography," accessed March 13, 2026

Young Kim

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

U.S. House (assumed: 2021)
California State Senate (2014-2016)

Biography: Kim earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. She was a business owner, financial analyst, and staffer for former U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R).

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Kim said, "Gavin Newsom and Democrats in Sacramento made partisan deals behind closed doors to redraw districts in ways that benefit themselves and their allies, not voters. I’m running because it is clear we need an America First champion to take the fight to radical Democrats and help President Trump unleash the Golden Age."

Kim said she would support President Donald Trump's (R) agenda: "I'm running because California needs proven fighters who will stand with President Trump to advance a bold America First agenda that restores law and order in our communities, strengthens our national security, and protects the American Dream for future generations."

Kim ran on her record in public office. Her campaign website said, "When I became the first Korean American woman elected to represent Southern California in the State Assembly, I didn’t go to Sacramento to be another rubber stamp for special interests. ... I fought tax-and-spend Democrats who wanted to increase taxes and fees to pay for their extreme agendas, took on soft-on-crime politicians who allowed dangerous criminals to remain in our communities, stood up for victims of domestic violence, and secured valuable resources for veterans and homeless children."

Show sources

Sources: Politico, "Republican incumbents set for face-off in redrawn California district post-Proposition 50," November 5, 2025; ABC7, "Dueling campaigns launched in new California District 40 after Prop 50 passes," November 5, 2025; Young Kim 2026 campaign website, "Meet Young Kim," accessed March 13, 2026; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "KIM, Young," accessed March 13, 2026

Joe Kerr

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Biography: Kerr was a fire captain and Orange County Professional Firefighters Association president. He also served as vice president of the California Professional Firefighters and Orange County Central Labor Council and vice chaired the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Kerr ran on his public service record. His campaign website said, "As President of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, Joe represented more than 1,200 firefighters and helped restore lost county funding, saving local jobs and improving public safety. He later served on statewide boards representing tens of thousands of first responders and earned a reputation for fairness, grit, and results."

Kerr's campaign website said his "leadership extended beyond public safety. Appointed by Governors Gray Davis and Gavin Newsom, he helped shape California’s workforce development and water quality policies, tackling issues that affect families, businesses, and the environment. He also helped pioneer wildfire prevention technology with UC San Diego, using science and early detection to stop disasters before they start."

Kerr said he would prioritize "lowering everyday costs, creating good-paying jobs, strengthening public safety, protecting healthcare and reproductive freedom, and ensuring government works for the people it serves."

Show sources

Sources: Joe Kerr 2026 campaign website, "Meet Joe," accessed March 13, 2026; Joe Kerr 2026 campaign website, "The Issues," accessed March 13, 2026; Joe Kerr 2026 campaign website, "Meet Joe," accessed March 13, 2026

Esther Kim Varet

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Biography: Varet earned her bachelor's degree from Yale University and her master's degree and doctorate from Columbia University. She owned an art gallery called Various Small Fires.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Varet ran on bipartisanship and being a political newcomer: "In my career, I’ve worked with Republicans and Democrats and everything in between. What I’ve learned is that common sense is our common ground. I’m not a politician. I’m a mom, a builder, and a fighter. At this crossroads in history, we need new leaders with stubborn integrity and responsible values, to restore stability and sanity to government."

Varet said, "These two people [Calvert and Kim] that are bloodying themselves up, they’re old. I’m a millennial — they’re part of the old guard. There is a reckoning coming of old politicians, and old Trump politicians makes it even worse."

Varet's campaign website said, "I've worked with the NRDC to push for stronger protections for clean air and clean water, supported food equity efforts to bring healthy and affordable food into underserved neighborhoods, and advocated for arts education because creativity and culture shouldn’t be limited to families who can afford private lessons or well-funded schools."

Show sources

Sources: Esther Kim-Varet 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed March 13, 2026; New York Times, "Two Republican Incumbents Will Face Off as Red Turf Shrinks in California," November 5, 2025; Esther Kim-Varet 2026 campaign website, "About," accessed March 13, 2026; Linkedin, "Esther Kim-Varet," accessed March 13, 2026; Frieze, "Los Angeles According to: Esther Kim Varet from Various Small Fires," January 26, 2024

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Campaign ads

Ken Calvert

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Ken Calvert while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Young Kim

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Young Kim while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Joe Kerr

Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Joe Kerr while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.

Esther Kim Varet

Esther Kim Varet for Congress - Official Campaign Video

View more ads here:

YouTube

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.^[12] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."^[13] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

Below we provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval. Know of something we're missing? Click here to let us know.

California's 40th Congressional District top-two primary election, 2026 polls
Poll	Dates	Calvert (R)	Kerr (D)	Kim (R)	Varet (D)	Undecided	Sample size	Margin of error	Sponsor
Public Opinion Strategies	Jan. 24, 2026–Jan. 27, 2026	22	22	23	14	19	400 LV	± 4.9%	Young Kim (R)
Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters.

Race ratings

Race ratings: California's 40th Congressional District election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	3/17/2026	3/10/2026	3/3/2026	2/24/2026
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Campaign finance

Candidate spending

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Ken Calvert	Republican Party	$4,343,644	$1,188,897	$3,416,882	As of December 31, 2025
Young Kim	Republican Party	$6,339,771	$2,580,505	$5,496,764	As of December 31, 2025
Claude Keissieh	Democratic Party	$22,100	$22,090	$15	As of December 31, 2025
Joe Kerr	Democratic Party	$193,569	$183,780	$9,789	As of December 31, 2025
Eric Peterson	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Lisa Ramirez	Democratic Party	$268,764	$186,871	$81,893	As of December 31, 2025
Esther Kim Varet	Democratic Party	$2,390,181	$1,228,564	$1,161,617	As of December 31, 2025
Maricar Payad	American Independent Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Christian Ahmed	No party preference	$30	$0	$130	As of June 3, 2025
Nina Linh	No party preference	$226,322	$111,416	$114,906	As of December 31, 2025
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. * Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[14]^[15]^[16]

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

By candidate	By election
Ken Calvert Young Kim Joseph Kerr Esther Kim Varet	Federal Election Commission

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

District map - A map of the district before and after redistricting ahead of the 2026 election.
Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

District map

Competitiveness
Presidential elections

State party control

Below is the district map used in the 2024 election next to the map in place for the 2026 election. Click on a map below to enlarge it.

2024

2026

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026

Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+1. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made California's 40th the 217th most Republican district nationally.^[17]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in California's 40th Congressional District
Kamala Harris	Donald Trump
42.4%	54.6%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in California, 2024

California presidential election results (1900-2024)

16 Democratic wins
15 Republican wins
1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020	2024
Winning Party	R	R	R	P^[18]	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

See also: Party control of California state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of California's congressional delegation as of January 2026.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	43	45
Republican	0	8	8
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	1	1
Total	2	52	54

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in California's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in California, October 2025
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Gavin Newsom
Lieutenant Governor	Eleni Kounalakis
Secretary of State	Shirley Weber
Attorney General	Rob Bonta

State legislature

California State Senate

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	30
	Republican Party	10
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		40

California State Assembly

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	60
	Republican Party	20
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		80

Trifecta control

California Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty years with Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Assembly	D	D	D	S	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

District history

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

General election

The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.