GOP Rep. Ken Calvert Faces Tight Race as Hollywood Targets Him

The rematch for Congress in California's 41st District, the notable Inland Empire to the east of Los Angeles, between Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., and liberal Democrat Will Rollins is looking like a dead heat.

The Center for Urban Politics and Policy at Cal State completed a poll last month that showed Calvert and Rollins tied at 41.6% each.

Two weeks ago, the Global Strategy Group concluded a poll also showing a tie — Calvert and Rollins even at 45% each.

This comes two years after Calvert edged out Rollins, a former prosecutor, by 52%-48% (just over 10,000 votes out of more than 230,000 cast).

In their rematch, Calvert and Rollins have spent a combined total of $12 million so far.

"Hollywood wants Rollins," Ken Khachigian, longtime California Republican strategist for the late GOP Gov. George Deukmejian, told Newsmax.

"Steven Spielberg, Rob Reiner — you name them — are pouring millions into the Inland Empire to elect Rollins," he said.

Rollins, who is gay, has national backing from the LGBT community.

Calvert, now the second senior Republican in the entire House, is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and of the moderate Main Street Partnership of House Republicans.

"I think it will be a very close race," Jon Fleischman, editor of the Flash Report on California politics, told Newsmax.

"There are a lot of liberal special interests that would like to see Calvert retired from office," he said.

Fleischman thinks the race might be so close it could take days or weeks to determine the winner.

The race has become a national one, with groups like AIPAC, the NRA, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsing and backing Calvert.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.