San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert on Wednesday announced her candidacy for Congress, running against incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa in what she hopes will be a redrawn 48th Congressional District.
Von Wilpert, former city prosecutor, federal labor attorney and Peace Corps alum, hopes to flip the 48th blue, like she did when successfully running for city council.
"I've spent my career fighting for workers, women's rights and safety for everyone — the very priorities Darrell Issa and Donald Trump attack at every turn," she said. "This will be a must-win seat to take Congress back from Trump, and I'm the only Democratic candidate running who has won an election, flipped a seat from red-to-blue and actually delivered for working people."
Her chance of success might rely heavily on California voters approving or denying a redistricting map this November. Proposed directly as a way to offset gerrymandering efforts encouraged by President Trump in Texas, Missouri and other states, the new California map — if approved — would likely turn the 48th from a safe Republican seat into a "leans Democrat" district.
The proposed new 48th includes North County San Diego, portions of western Riverside County and part of Palm Springs. The district has a 4-point Democratic registration edge. San Diego County makes up 49% of the new district, with western Riverside 44% and the Palm Springs portion just 7%.
Von Wilpert, a moderate Democrat on the city council, touted not only her experience in winning a seat previously held by former Councilman Mark Kersey — who ran initially as a Republican in 2012 and 2016, but left the party and became an independent in 2019 — but also the wins she has earned while on the council. She touts authoring the state's first ban on sales of untraceable ghost guns and working with colleagues to start affordable housing grants for local teachers, and banning digital-only grocery coupons.
"From helping write the PRO Act to strengthen unions, to making housing more affordable for teachers and lowering the price of groceries for seniors, I've always fought to protect working families and I'll do the same in Congress," she said. "That's the proven, principled record it will take to defeat Darrell Issa and take back Congress — and I'm all in to win."
Early endorsements include State Senators Catherine Blakespear and Steve Padilla, Assemblymembers Tasha Boerner and Chris Ward, San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and her council colleagues Stephen Whitburn and Jen Campbell, among others.
