Anti-LGBTQ+ Calif. Congressman Changes Tune When Facing Gay Challenger
Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard and once used a gay opponent’s sexuality against him. Under the previous district map, his district, the 41nd, was heavily Republican.
Now, with redistricting having taken place after the latest U.S. Census, his district is the 41st, with an even split between Democrats and Republicans, and includes the heavily LGBTQ+ city of Palm Springs.
He’ll face gay Democrat Will Rollins in the November election.Calvert recently told the Los Angeles Times he now supports marriage equality, which he had previously opposed, and doesn’t think the 2015 Supreme Court decision that established equal marriage rights nationwide should be overturned.“It wasn’t always my position,” he said. “It’s a different country than it was 30 years ago.”In California’s primary system, candidates from all parties run against each other, and the top two finishers advance to the general election, regardless of party.
In this year’s primary, held in June, Calvert and Rollins led the field of five candidates with 44 percent and 36 percent respectively.Rollins is a former federal prosecutor who has worked on cases involving the January 6 insurrection at the U.S.
