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National Democrats are heartened by Rollins close loss to Rep. Ken Calvert, dean of the California Republican delegation, in 2022.|Francis Chung/POLITICO

Rollins formal entry into the race again throws into play a tight district that became bluer as part of the last redistricting process, including picking up Palm Springs and its large LGBTQ community. National Democrats are heartened not just by Rollins close loss to Calvert in 2022, where he was among the top overperformers in the country, but also by recent swings in voter registration that give the party a slim advantage. Trump narrowly carried the 41st district in 2020, and Democrats expect it to go to Biden in 2024. And they view Rollins as having the kind of profile that could appeal to unaligned voters in a fast-changing part of the state.

Rollins added: I think we built a really great foundation for flipping the seat in 24, and Im not masochistic enough to do it twice without knowing I can win.

The region has been a political hotbed, with another likely rematch further down the ballot coming between state Assemblymember Greg Wallis (R-Bermuda Dunes) and Democrat Christy Holstege.

While at least two other Democrats have announced plans to challenge Calvert for the House seat hes held for more than three decades, Rollins announcement comes with heavy reinforcement, including Day 1 endorsements from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and all three major Democratic U.S. Senate candidates, Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.

In the interview, Rollins said he plans to talk up his support for congressional term limits, which he favors as six terms for the House and three in the U.S. Senate. He favors a cap on Supreme Court justice terms and likes the idea of federal circuit judges that rotate on and off of the high court. Rollins said he doesnt favor age limits for elected officials, though.

The concern I have with a blanket rule on age is that some people can function very well at an older age and some people at a younger age are incompetent, he said.

He wasted no time in assailing Cavert for earmarking money over his long career in Congress and personally profiting off of the projects. He repeatedly sought to tie Calvert to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, refusing to certify the 2020 results in key battleground states and later downplaying the legal severity for the rioters. Rollins also pointed to recent contributions to Calverts campaign from the likes of GOP firebrands Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan. Democrats also have tried to paint Calvert as being out of step with the redrawn districts values, particularly around LGBTQ rights.

Abortion rights, too, will be a major differentiator this time, Rollins said.

I think in 22, some voters in states like California and New York may not have perceived the threat to reproductive health care access as credible. They thought they lived in blue states so they would be safe, he said. That is absolutely not the case in 24 when Congress and the White House are up for grabs.

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A do-over in the desert: California Democrat who almost won seeks ... - POLITICO