Your guide to the California Congressional District 48 race: Von Wilpert vs. Desmond
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Set us as preferred Democrat Marni von Wilpert will face Republican Jim Desmond to represent California’s 48th Congressional District on Nov.3 in a race that could help determine which party controls the House of Representatives.Rep.
Darrell Issa, a 72-year-old Republican who served 12 terms representing the 48th, 49th and 50th Congressional Districts over his 23-year career, is retiring, leaving his newly competitive seat up for grabs.The district has been under the spotlight in the last year for its potential to help Democrats regain the majority in the House.Proposition 50, passed by California voters in a 2025 special election, reconfigured the 48th Congressional District, moving it farther inland, reducing its size and adding nearly 200,000 new voters.
The district encompasses northern and inland areas of San Diego County, including San Marcos and Escondido.It also picked up some area to the east in Riverside County, adding cities like Murrieta, Palm Springs and Temecula to the district.The change gave Democrats a slight advantage in voter registration over the former Republican stronghold, but the race still is expected to be highly competitive.
California California’s general election takes place on Novemer 3.Learn about L.A.’s city and county races as well races for state office.Von Wilpert, 43, has served as a member of the San Diego City Council since 2020, representing District 5.Before her foray into politics, she was an attorney who founded a legal health clinic in Mississippi to combat discrimination in housing, employment and medical care against HIV/AIDS patients.
She later served as counsel on the House Education and Labor Committee and focused on labor rights during the second Obama administration.As a council member, Von Wilpert authored bills to ban untraceable guns and launched housing grant initiatives for educators.She focused much of her tenure working to update labor laws to al...