Former OneRepublic bassist and prolific writer/producer Tim Myers is throwing his hat in the political ring in an attempt to oust a longtime GOP member of the California House of Representatives delegation. Grammy-nominated Democrat Myers announced his intention to run in an Instagram video posted on Thursday morning (April 17) in which he told the story of growing up a pastor’s son in Corona, CA, “who learned how to stretch a dollar” and then “made it big” in his music career.
The bassist who spent five years in OneRepublic in addition to releasing a number of solo projects, starting the record label Palladium records and writing/producing songs for acts including Aloe Blacc, Kesha, Hailee Steinfeld and Five For Fighting described his triumphs and struggles in the music industry. “I saw how the music industry took advantage of people,” he said in the clip that appeared to be filmed in a recording studio. “So I built a business that puts artists first. It reminds me a lot of what we’re seeing now.”
Over video of Fox Business headlines and images of Pres. Trump, DOGE boss Elon Musk and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., he added, “the people in charge are screwing us over just to make a buck. Trump, Musk and these clowns in Washington are cutting cancer research, veterans health care and getting into trade wars, making everything we buy more expensive. All while giving billionaires another tax cut they don’t need.”
Myers is planning to take on the long-serving Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, who has represented the 41st District in Riverside County, CA for three decades. The district runs from the L.A. suburbs to Palm Springs and in the video the musician said, “Ken Calvert has been in Washington for 30 years and all he’s done is make himself millions,” said over footage including a headline reading “Ethics Complaints Filed Against California GOP Rep. Ken Calvert Over Real Estate Holdings.”
“The status quo isn’t working,” Myers said. “It’s how we ended up here to begin with. We need leaders who are going to stand up and say ‘enough.’”
According to the Associated Press, a spokesperson for the campaign arm of the House Republicans, Christian Martinez, said in a statement that Myers is “everything wrong with today’s radical left: a Hollywood liberal trying to fake his way into Riverside County.” The story noted that Myers, 40, grew up in Corona, which is mostly in the district now, but that he lives in nearby Los Angeles County. Though most House races around the country are increasingly not competitive these days, Democrats believe that Calvert’s closely-held seat might be their best chance to pick up a win in the chamber where the GOP currently holds a thin 220-213 majority.
The AP noted that with Democrats facing serious headwinds in an effort to take back the Senate in the 2026 election at a time when Republicans hold the presidency and both houses of Congress — as well as a conservative majority on the Supreme Court — the California race is extra important in their bid to slow down the Trump administration’s disruptive efforts on climate, immigration and the economy. At present, Republicans hold a less than 2% advantage over Democrats in the district Myers is targeting, which Calvert won by three points in 2024, a year that Trump carried the district by six points over Kamala Harris.
Though considered a liberal bastion — where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 2-1 margin and hold every statewide office while dominating the state Legislature and congressional delegation — there are small areas in Southern California and the rural Central Valley farm belt where the GOP still holds sway.
Watch Myers’ announcement video below.
