16 mins ago - Politics

Von Wilpert wins in California's 48th Congressional District

Claire Trageser

Congressional Candidate Marni von Wilpert Watch Party, CA-48
San Marcos, CA - Marni von Wilpert, CA-48 congressional district democratic candidate celebrates and speaks to supporters during her watch party on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at a local brewery in San Marcos, CA. (Photo by Luke Johnson / The — Marni von Wilpert on election night. Photo: Luke Johnson / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images

Democrat Marni von Wilpert has won California's 48th Congressional District, nabbing 59.5% of the vote to Republican Jim Desmond's 40.5% per the AP.

The big picture: Democrats set the race in their sights as a chance to flip a House seat from red to blue. It drew national attention and significant outside spending.

Wilpert, a San Diego City Councilmember, clinched the seat over Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor.

Zoom out: The seat opened after Republican Rep. Darrell Issa opted not to seek another term.

That came after California redrew congressional district boundaries to favor Democrats.
The new 48th stretches across inland San Diego and Riverside counties, including Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, Temecula, Murrieta and Palm Springs.

The intrigue: The new district's demographics make it hard for Republicans to hold under President Trump, GOP strategist Mike Madrid told Axios.

"You tend to have a lot of college-educated Republicans, and they're the first to flee. They're done, and they've been done for a couple years now," he said.

Trump continues to be a liability with those voters, he said.

"They're the most queasy about this whole Trump experiment over the past 10 years," he said.

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Von Wilpert wins in California's 48th Congressional District

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