California’s 40th District House Race 2026

Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) has not reported any income for her husband, Charles Kim, on congressional financial disclosures since first running in 2018, despite Orange County records showing he earned up to $100,000 in 2017 as a U.S. coordinator for Dam Jae, a South Korean nonprofit honoring Korean War veterans. The nonprofit's chairman says the payments were volunteer expense reimbursements, not wages, and Kim's campaign says her husband has been retired since 2017 with only exempt Social Security income.

The disclosure comes amid other financial-transparency disputes involving Kim, including a 2025 ethics complaint alleging she failed to report nearly $50,000 in privately funded travel with her husband to Israel and South Korea, and a failed 2018 lawsuit challenging her "small business owner" ballot label. The renewed scrutiny arrives as Kim faces a bruising general-election matchup against fellow Republican Rep. Ken Calvert in California's redrawn 40th District, a race where both incumbents' financial disclosure histories have become a campaign flashpoint.

President Donald Trump delivered a lengthy keynote at the Republican National Committee's first-ever midterm convention in Dallas, urging supporters to treat November "like I'm on the ballot" and framing the elections as a choice between GOP prosperity and what he called Democratic-led "communism." He touted 2025 tax cuts, including ending taxes on tips and an expanded child tax credit, and pledged a $5,000 "Trump Dividend" per citizen if Republicans hold Congress. Trump gave an energetic endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his Senate race against Democrat James Talarico, and paid tribute to Charlie Kirk on the anniversary of his assassination.

The two-day "Trumpapalooza" event drew scrutiny for a half-empty arena, steep fundraiser ticket prices, and low turnout from vulnerable California Republicans, several of whom skipped the gathering entirely. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman appeared via video praising Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick, a notable cross-party moment. Critics, including Democratic strategists, argued Trump's self-focused approach, delivered amid low approval ratings and high gas prices, could hurt Republicans in competitive districts ahead of the midterms.

Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., has removed most references to President Trump from her campaign website and signage ahead of a newly competitive general election against fellow Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. Before June's primary, Kim's site touted her as a "proven fighter who will stand with President Trump" on an "America First" platform; those phrases are now gone, replaced with messaging about fighting "career politicians" and lowering costs. Her campaign signs similarly shifted from "Trump Republican!" to "Cut Taxes & Lower Costs!"

The race was reshaped after California redistricted the 40th District, covering Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties, into more Democratic-leaning territory, pitting the two GOP incumbents against each other. Kim's campaign denies distancing itself from Trump, pointing to recent supportive social media posts. Calvert, whose site still features imagery with Trump, has likewise pivoted his ads toward economic issues like gas prices rather than the president.

Paramount Skydance is actively scouting office space in Nashville, according to people familiar with the search, signaling the company is seriously weighing relocating at least part of its operations from Hollywood. The studio has sought roughly 400,000 square feet in the Tennessee capital for occupancy within two to three years, but no existing building fits its timeline, so representatives have also approached developers about constructing new offices, including a multi-acre parcel outside downtown Nashville.

The relocation talk comes as Paramount faces an antitrust lawsuit from 12 states, including California, over its pending purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has characterized the relocation threat as attempted "blackmail," and critics argue Paramount is using the possibility of leaving Los Angeles as leverage in settlement negotiations with state attorneys general. Paramount has declined to comment but has acknowledged for months that it is considering a move while also emphasizing its ties to Los Angeles. No final decision has been announced.

California voters head to the polls in November to decide statewide and local races alongside 14 ballot propositions, including a closely watched "billionaires tax" measure and a recall-process reform. San Diego County's voter guide outlines a packed slate of contests, with voter pamphlets mailed in late September and ballots beginning to arrive October 5.

Key federal races include five competitive U.S. House districts (48–52), pitting incumbents and challengers from both parties after redistricting reshaped several seats. State Senate and Assembly races feature multiple incumbents defending seats, while the California State Board of Equalization's District 4 race pits a local water official against a sitting state senator.

Locally, San Diego County voters will also choose county supervisors, school board members, and city officials across numerous municipalities including San Diego, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, and others, alongside mayoral races and special district seats covering healthcare, water, and community college boards. The wide-ranging ballot reflects a highly competitive election cycle across Southern California.

Early voting opens Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 31 in North Carolina, a key battleground in the 2025 midterms. The marquee race is the open U.S. Senate seat left by retiring Republican Thom Tillis, pitting Democrat and former Gov. Roy Cooper against Republican Michael Whatley, the Trump-backed former RNC chair, with Green and Libertarian candidates also on the ballot. Democrats are targeting the seat as part of a broader push to flip the four seats needed for Senate control.

The ballot also includes competitive U.S. House races, including Charlotte-area districts held by Reps. Alma Adams, Tim Moore and Mark Harris, plus down-ballot contests for the N.C. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, state legislature, and Mecklenburg County offices. Voters will also weigh in on constitutional amendments covering voter ID, income tax caps and property tax limits, along with Charlotte bond measures for transportation, housing and neighborhood improvements. Election Day is Nov. 3, with North Carolina's results seen as a bellwether for national party control in Washington.

Orange County, Florida voters on Nov. 3 will pick a new mayor from Democrat Tiffany Moore Russell and Republican Chris Messina, while also voting on Amendment 3, a statewide measure to phase out property taxes on primary homes. Moore Russell opposes the amendment and says she'd cut vacant positions, review contracts and freeze hiring to offset losses; Messina supports it and favors zero-based budgeting and selling unused county assets. Analysts estimate the county could lose hundreds of millions in general fund and public safety tax revenue if the measure passes. Moore Russell led the August primary, and the race has become the costliest in county history.

The Department of Justice sent letters to election officials in every California county demanding they identify potential noncitizens on voter rolls within 48 hours, warning of "significant federal scrutiny" and possible prosecution for noncompliance. The letters, affecting roughly 20,000 voters statewide, requested sensitive data including Social Security numbers. Officials were told to segregate, not cancel, affected ballots. California's attorney general said the lists contain errors, including people living outside the counties named, and Los Angeles County found over 40% of a sampled group had already-canceled registrations, with most showing no voting history and nearly 4 in 10 born in the U.S.

The demand follows a DOJ lawsuit against California and a statewide sweep charging 28 people with illegal registration, coming days before the midterms as a 9th Circuit panel weighs the state's compliance obligations. The DOJ says it is not requesting a purge or cancellation of registrations, only collaboration, but federal prosecutors warned that clerks who process a noncitizen's ballot could face legal jeopardy. Governor Gavin Newsom accused the DOJ of sending lists containing people who never voted or who live in the wrong county, calling it fabricated evidence of fraud. County officials in Napa, Contra Costa, Inyo, Mendocino and elsewhere questioned the data's accuracy and said they are proceeding with ballot counting as usual despite the pressure.

A new academic study finds that California's 2019 law mandating later school start times is producing measurable benefits for students. The law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom after his predecessor Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill in 2018, requires middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m., a mandate that took effect for the 2022-23 school year.

Researchers examined data from 2022 to 2025 and published their findings in a National Bureau of Economic Research report. They found students are sleeping more, reporting fewer mental health issues, and scoring better on math and English tests. Gains were seen across demographic groups but were especially pronounced among boys and Latino students.

The law had faced years of opposition from parents and education officials concerned about disruptions to extracurricular activities and family schedules, with critics arguing it would burden working families. Supporters cited backing from groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC, which linked early start times to sleep deprivation and related harms in adolescents.