CA-48 Escondido, Palm Springs
California
Not calledR -8.0closes 11:00 pm ET
Lean Dopen seat
Who's running
Marni von WilpertD
Marni von Wilpert is a San Diego City Council member. She flipped a council seat that Republicans used to hold. She is running as a moderate Democrat and against President Trump's policies.
What they say they'll do
- San Diego City Council member
- Raised about $4.5 million
- Backed by Kamala Harris and Sen. Adam Schiff on the trail
Jim DesmondR
Jim Desmond is a San Diego County Supervisor and former mayor of San Marcos. He is running as a fiscal conservative focused on taxes and energy prices. Trump and retiring Rep. Darrell Issa both endorsed him.
What they say they'll do
- San Diego County Supervisor, former San Marcos mayor
- Endorsed by Trump and Darrell Issa
- Raised about $3 million
The tea ☕
- Prop 50 redrew this district in 2025. The old lines voted for Trump by 15 points. The new lines would have voted for Harris by 3, so Republican Darrell Issa retired instead of running again.
- Outside groups have spent more than $6 million here, almost all of it for von Wilpert. House Majority PAC put in over $4 million and Democratic Majority for Israel put in $2 million. Trump's No Going Back PAC gave more than $330,000 to help Desmond.
- Desmond has kept some distance from Trump. When Trump said Iran could take out San Diego and Los Angeles, Desmond pushed back and said no American city is expendable.
Sources
- https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/congress-48-wonwilpert-desmond/
- https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2026/07/29/new-poll-reveals-neck-and-neck-race-for-californias-48th-congressional-seat
- https://uspollingdata.com/candidates/marni-von-wilpert/
- https://ballotpedia.org/California's_48th_Congressional_District_election,_2026
- https://www.270towin.com/2026-house-election/table/cook-political-report-2026-house-ratings/