Local entrepreneur Brandon Riker launches Congressional campaign
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - Democrat Brandon Riker, a Coachella Valley resident and successful business entrepreneur, announced his campaign for California’s 41st Congressional District.
Riker is a former organizer on President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. He has worked in senior management and strategic planning roles at two investment firms.
Riker ran for lieutenant governor of Vermont in 2016, but withdrew from the race before the election.
A fourth-generation Californian, Riker has lived in the Coachella Valley for nearly 10 years. In that time period, Riker has been advocating for underrepresented communities, serving on the board of SafePlace International, a global organization that works to find safe and sustainable spaces for displaced people around the world. He also volunteers at a local food bank.
“I am running for Congress because the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley deserve a representative who isn’t afraid to fight for practical solutions so that California families can pay for housing, food, and health care while still having money to save for retirement. Ensuring economic opportunity and security should not be a partisan issue – it’s who we are as Americans,” Riker said.
More recently, Riker started a grassroots organization to flip CA-41 from Red to Blue in 2024. He spent the early part of this year hosting 22 house parties and counting to listen to community members’ concerns.
“As I’ve met with people in every part of the 41st district, I heard repeatedly that they want a representative in Congress who fights for policies that help their families. They are tired of career politicians who serve themselves. That’s why I’ll focus on reducing the cost of living, creating more pathways to home ownership, expanding job training and apprenticeships, and protecting our health care and retirement programs — Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security — from devastating cuts,” stated Riker.
Riker graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude in Economics from Washington College in Maryland and earned a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The 41st Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Congressman Ken Calvert. It's been a Red-to-Blue target for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2022 and 2024. Calvert won both elections over Democratic challenger Will Rollins.
We earlier reached out to Congressman Ken Calvert's office for a statement - His campaign office responded on Wednesday evening in part:
“Like most voters in the 41st District, our campaign had never heard of Brandon Riker before today."
The next midterm elections will be in November 2026.
The district encompasses the Riverside County communities of Corona, Norco, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Canyon Lake, Menifee, Calimesa, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta, Indian Wells, and portions of Eastvale and Riverside. The district also includes the unincorporated areas of El Sobrante, Woodcrest, Temescal Valley, Lakeview, Nuevo, Homeland, Winchester, Cherry Valley, Anza, Pine Cove, and Idyllwild.
