Inland Rep. Ken Calvert has won reelection, surviving one of the biggest threats to his three decades on Capitol Hill and giving Republicans a crucial seat in their bid to keep their House of Representatives majority. The Associated Press called the race for Calvert, R-Corona, at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13. He led Democrat Will Rollins by roughly 8,100 votes — 51.29% to 48.71% — going into Wednesday. RELATED: Ken Calvert declares victory in Inland Empire House race. Not so fast, Will Rollins says Calvert declared victory Monday, Nov. 11, in the 41st Congressional District race. But Rollins’ campaign said at that time that the race was too close to call and that as many as 80,000 ballots remained uncounted. “This is a hard-fought victory that shows voters want someone who will put results over partisan politics,” Calvert said Monday. “Together we’ll continue working to secure our border, bring down prices for working families and ensure law enforcement has all the tools they need to keep our communities safe.” Coby Eiss, Rollins’ campaign manager, said the campaign was waiting for an election results update scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday and planned to issue a statement afterward. Calvert’s win put the GOP one seat short Wednesday afternoon of retaining its narrow House majority. Republicans had 217 House seats compared to 207 for the Democrats, with 218 needed for a majority, according to The Associated Press. Assuming Republicans keep the House, they’ll control both chambers of Congress for at least the next two years in addition to the White House. Besides electing Donald Trump, voters also gave the GOP a Senate majority. ELECTION RESULTS: See a chart of the latest vote counts Going into the 2024 election cycle, Democrats viewed the 41st — cities in the Coachella Valley, Calimesa, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Norco, Wildomar and parts of Corona, Eastvale and Riverside — as a prime pickup opportunity as they sought to take over the House. The 41st has a narrow voter registration split between the two major parties. Democrats also hoped high voter turnout in a presidential election year would give Rollins, who narrowly lost to Calvert in 2022, an edge. A former federal prosecutor, Rollins outraised Calvert in what became one of the nation’s most expensive House races. Rollins led Calvert in early returns, but Calvert took the lead Wednesday, Nov. 6, and never relinquished it. Compared to 2022, Rollins enjoyed stronger backing from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic super PACs in his second congressional bid. He campaigned as someone who would reach out to Republicans and championed reform ideas like term limits for congressmembers and banning them from stock trading. Rollins also emphasized his support for abortion rights and border security — an attempt to undercut a key GOP talking point. He portrayed Calvert as a corrupt politician who steered federal dollars in ways benefitting his real estate investments. Rollins also attacked Calvert as a right-wing ideologue who voted against infrastructure bills funding traffic improvements in the 41st. Calvert touted his familiarity with the district on the campaign trail, contrasting it with what he said was Rollins’ lack of connection to the 41st. Rollins, Calvert said, exaggerated his record as prosecutor and would be in lock step with former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is relatively unpopular in Riverside County. Calvert also stressed his commitment to lower taxes and make life more affordable for voters concerned about inflation. By winning reelection, Calvert, 71, maintains his status as the Inland Empire’s longest-serving congressmember and the longest-tenured Republican in California’s House delegation. He holds considerable influence over defense spending as a subcommittee chair on the House Appropriations Committee. In years past, Calvert easily won reelection. But 2021 political redistricting forced him to run in the 41st, a purplish district with a Democratic stronghold and LGBTQ haven in Palm Springs; Calvert has opposed same-sex marriage, but in 2022, he said it’s “now the settled law of the land and I would oppose any attempts to revisit it.” Despite beating Rollins two election cycles in a row, it remains to be seen if future reelection paths will be any clearer for Calvert. 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