One of the most watched congressional races in the country is right here in the Inland Empire. With control of the House of Representatives up for grabs, the outcome of a handful of tightly contested races can make all the difference. Such is the case with California’s 41st Congressional District. Two years ago, political newcomer Will Rollins gave longtime congressman Ken Calvert some real competition. While Calvert previously thumped overmatched and uninspiring opponents by very wide margins, Rollins earned 47.7% of the vote to Calvert’s 52.5%. Part of the explanation, no doubt, is that the district Calvert represented was redrawn to include Palm Springs. This forced the staunchly conservative Calvert to moderate some of his social views, and even prompted him to vote for the Respect for Marriage Act to allow for federal recognition of same-sex marriages. But, Rollins, a gay former federal prosecutor, was able to more credibly speak on LGBTQ rights than Calvert and argue that Calvert was out-of-step with the district and was overly deferential to former president Donald Trump. Calvert had, after all, largely voted in agreement with Trump’s priorities and even voted to challenge the certification of the 2020 presidential election. With these points on hand, Rollins was able to give Calvert a run for his money. And now, incidentally, Rollins is trying to do so again with basically the same message but with more years of campaign experience under his belt. Which leads us to why we’re endorsing Calvert again, despite our reservations about many of his past votes and policy positions: As we wrote two years ago, “we think Calvert is more likely to be able to deliver to the district in the next two years than his opponent, who has never held elected office.” This is still true. Calvert’s seniority in the House is to the benefit of the district. He has leveraged his experience to regularly bring back millions of dollars for infrastructure and transportation projects in the region. At the same time, he has been and will continue to be a practical conservative vote in the House of Representatives. He has supported sensible criminal justice reform (the First Step Act), staunchly opposed tax increases, proposed legislation to shield small businesses from damaging lawsuits and routinely defended school choice. He has told this editorial board that he supports a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers and that he won’t stand in the way of cannabis banking reforms. He has also affirmed he would not support a national abortion ban. Related Articles Endorsements | Endorsement: Elizabeth Tucker for Riverside County Superior Court judge Endorsements | Endorsements for the November 5, 2024 elections Endorsements | Endorsement: Greg Wallis for 47th Assembly District Endorsements | Endorsement: Re-elect Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh in California’s 19th Senate District Endorsements | Endorsement: No on Proposition 35. Let the Legislature figure out how to fund Medi-Cal. Meanwhile, while Rollins comes across as quite convincing and earnest, we have no idea how he’d actually be as an elected official because he’s never been one. While presenting as something like a moderate Democrat, he has previously echoed progressive notions that “price gouging” rather than profligate federal spending was the chief explanation behind inflation and has argued the federal government should spend more money to somehow make housing more affordable. The choice then is between a longtime congressman whose sensibilities we know and who we know will bring home public funds and a political newcomer who says he can get things done. We respect Rollins’ campaigning skills and would actually like to see him in public office in the district to see what he could do. But given the choices, the most reasonable choice is Ken Calvert. We endorse his re-election.