State Sen. Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) won’t challenge incumbent and fellow Republican Ken Calvert for the District 41 Congressional seat.
Melendez missed the March 11 deadline for qualifying in the June 7 primary for the seat that represents Palm Springs and Coachella Valley cities in Congress, the Desert Sun reported.
Melendez, who cannot seek re-election in the California State Senate due to term limits, entered her name in the race with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters on March 7, but did not complete all of the paperwork necessary to qualify for the ballot ahead of the filing deadline, the story said. On March 8, Melendez also formed a committee with the Federal Election Commission before deciding not to run, according to the Desert Sun.
Melendez has talked about the need for a change in the congressional seat.
“I have immense respect for my opponent,” Melendez said in a statement before the filing deadline. “However, when Ken Calvert was first elected to Congress, I was in the military serving my country during Operation Desert Storm. Since then, two of my five children have gone on to serve in the U.S. Navy, yet our representation in Washington has remained the same. This is a clear indication to me it’s time for fresh ideas when it comes to representing Riverside County in our nation’s capital.”
Melendez added that she would have “further comments” after the filing deadline.
In the June 7 primary, Calvert — who is endorsed by the California Republican Party and the state’s House Republican Delegation — will face challenges from Democrats Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor and engineer Shrina Kurani, as well as non-party preference candidate Anna Nevenic and Republican John Michael Lucio, the Desert Sun reported.
The top two vote-getters, regardless of their party affiliation, will advance to the Nov. 8 general election, the Desert Sun said.
Calvert was first elected to the U.S. House in 1992, according to his Wikipedia page.
In January, the East Valley Republican Women Patriots endorsed Calvert, the congressman’s campaign said.
