Meet U.S. House Candidate
Marni von Wilpert
California 48
Open-Flip
Why This Race Matters
California is reliably Democratic in presidential elections. It has a trifecta in state government with Democrats controlling the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. Democrats currently hold 43 of California's 52 seats in the US House of Representatives and both Senate seats. Based on the redistricting plan approved recently by California voters, Democrats may gain an additional five seats in November. CA 48 could be one of these seats.
CA 48 is one of the districts newly drawn by redistricting. It has shifted Democratic and is now one of the most evenly divided in the country. Longtime Republican incumbent Darrelll Issa was re-elected in ‘24 with 57% of the vote while Trump won this “old” district with 56%. After redistricting, Issa chose not to run for re-election because the district is now seriously competitive.Von Wilpert’s opponent is Jim Desmond who led all primary candidates in California's June “jungle primary” receiving 41% of the vote. He is San Diego County Supervisor and a longtime local official with name recognition, fundraising connections, and community relationships. He lacks Issa's close ties to Trump which may be an advantage in this race. Von Wilpert finished second with 20% of the vote and outperformed eight other Democratic to gain a place on the November ballot.
CA 48 is now a top target for Democrats. The race is rated Lean Democrat by the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball signifying that Von Wilpert has an advantage although the race remains competitive.
Hear directly from candidate von Wilpert in this short video:
Background + Experience
Born and raised in San Diego, Von Wilpert is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley and has a JD from Fordham University Law School . After earning her BA in Peace and Conflict Studies, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.
After graduating from law school, Von Wilpert founded a legal clinic associated with the Mississippi Center for Justice. Later she was a law clerk, worked for the National Labor Relations Board, and was a staff member for the House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor. In 2017, Von Wilpert joined the Economic Policy Institute as Associate Labor Counsel. She subsequently served as Deputy City Attorney for the City of San Diego as a civil prosecutor.
Von Wilpert won a seat on the San Diego City council in ‘20 turning the city’s most conservative council district blue. She was reelected in ‘24.
On the Issues
Von Wilpert’s campaign website provides details on her priority issues. These include:
- Hold ICE accountable
- Clean up corruption and defend democracy
- Protect affordable health care and social security
- Raise wages and lower costs
- Tackle the housing crisis and unrig the economy
- Stop Trump’s environmental destruction
- Defend reproductive freedom
- Protect LGBTQ+ rights
- End the plague of gun violence
- Promote American innovation
- Foreign policy that keeps America safe
“Voters are going to have a choice coming up here in November and it's going to be stark. We either continue to choose the chaos and corruption in Washington D.C. or we can choose a new path forward...This congressional race... is one of the most important pick-up opportunities we have ever had...”