Marni von Wilpert Wins California's 48th Congressional District Seat
Democratic Councilmember Marni von Wilpert defeated Republican Jim Desmond to give Democrats control of all five congressional seats in the San Diego region.
Democratic San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert declared victory Tuesday in the race for California's 48th Congressional District, leading Republican County Supervisor Jim Desmond by 19.4 percentage points in early returns. The win secures Democratic control of all five congressional seats in the San Diego region.
The contest followed the retirement of Republican Representative Darrell Issa and a redistricting effort via Proposition 50. Governor Gavin Newsom advocated for the redistricting to counter Republican-led efforts in Texas, shifting the district's boundaries to include more Democratic areas in North County and flipping the voter registration advantage.
Von Wilpert campaigned on a platform of ending the war in Iran and holding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accountable, pledging to stop ICE from tearing communities apart. While President Donald Trump endorsed Desmond on social media, von Wilpert benefited from significant spending advantages and a nationwide midterm trend favoring Democrats. Following her victory at a brewery in San Marcos, von Wilpert stated that democracy won and the nation chose love over fear.
