Republican Rep. Ken Calvert was in the lead with about 54% of votes against Republican Rep. Young Kim with 46%, as of 9:30 p.m. according to Election Night results.
Across Orange County and Riverside County, Calvert had 58,385 votes and Kim had 49,726, according to initial returns.
Both candidates currently serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, but in different districts – Kim in the 40th and Calvert in the 41st.
However, last year, Proposition 50 passed, leading to statewide redistricting, leading to Kim and Calvert running in the new 40th district that has a stronger Republican voter registration.
Now, congressional district 40 mostly includes parts of Riverside County, including Corona, Lake Elsinore and Murrieta, and some parts of Orange County, like Rancho Santa Margarita, Anaheim Hills and Mission Viejo.
In the primary elections last year, Calvert took the lead with 75,811 votes across the district, and Kim came in with 44,818. Behind them both was Democratic candidate Esther Kim-Varet with 36,072, who was knocked out of the race.
Both Republicans have repeatedly touted being the most “pro-Trump” in the race, though neither the Democratic or Republican Party of Orange County have endorsed either candidate.
Kim is endorsed by the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association and the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs.
Calvert has endorsements from the Republican Party of Riverside County, Riverside and Sheriffs’ Associations and Governor Candidate Steve Hilton.
