Democrats line up to unseat incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa in 48th Congressional District: several speak at candidate forum
By Paul Levikow
Photo, left to right: Ammar Campa-Najjar, Marni Von Wilpert, Abel Chavez, Brandon Riker, Mark Iannarino, Ferguson Porter, Corinna Contreras, and Jerlilia Ryans
January 13, 2026 (San Diego) – When the Primary Election is held June 2 for the 2026 midterms, more than a handful of Democrats will be on the ballot in an effort to unseat incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa, whose 48th district includes part of East County.
The passage of Prop. 50 led to the redrawing of District 48, which many observers predict will make it one of the most competitive in the U.S. as Democrats attempt to reclaim the House majority.
The new voting map would switch from a 12-point Republican advantage to a 4-point Democratic advantage based on voter registration, if legal challenges are unsuccessful. The 48th Congressional District, represented by Issa, is the only Republican district in San Diego County. The new district line moves west and north, losing much of the backcountry communities and adding the North County cities of Escondido, San Marcos and Vista. It also includes parts of Riverside County including Palm Springs, where several of the candidates reside.
The Riverside County Democratic electorate outnumbers the San Diego County Democrats by 51% to 49%.
The filing period to declare candidacy for the office opens Feb. 9 and closes March 6, with a certified list of candidates expected March 26, 2026. Several candidates have been busy fundraising already, while a few have dropped out of the race or have no campaign presence online.
The California Democratic Party Regions 16 and 21, which include the 48th District, held a candidate forum over the weekend via Zoom. Nine candidates were listed on a flyer for the event, though attorney Curtis Morrison has dropped out. Five of the candidates participated in the two-plus hour forum. A sixth candidate made an opening statement, answered a couple of questions, then got disconnected and did not return.
Candidates who participated in forum
The full participants are listed below in alphabetical order with a link to their campaign websites.
Ammar Campa-Najjar grew up in East County and is a U.S. Naval officer serving at NAS North Island. He also teaches government at Georgetown University. He has tried twice unsuccessfully to unseat Darryl Issa, drawing 46% of the vote in 2020, before redistricting. The SDSU graduate worked on Barack Obama's presidential re-election campaign as a deputy regional field director and worked at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Abel Chavez is a business broker and board member of the Nuview Union School District in Riverside County. He grew up in the communities of Nuview and Romoland near Lake Perris, earned a Bachelor of Biological Sciences degree at the University of California Riverside, and a Master’s in Education from National University. Chavez is a former high school teacher.
Corinna Contreras is a lifelong resident of Vista serving a second term on the Vista City Council. She is a policy advocate for the San Diego-based nonprofit Climate Action Campaign and graduate of UC Santa Barbara. Contreras has won honors as the California Assembly Woman of the Year in 2019, San Diego Democratic Party Legislator of the Year in 2022, and San Diego Bike Coalition's Elected Official of the Year in 2025.
Brandon Riker lives in Palm Springs, where he is a businessman, entrepreneur and trained economist with a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. The fourth generation Californian was born in the San Francisco Bay Area and has worked on political campaigns including President Obama’s. He volunteers at the Coachella Valley Food Bank.
Jerlilia Ryans is a small business owner who started the forum before being disconnected.
Marni von Wilpert serves on the San Diego City Council representing District 5 including Scripps Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Black Mountain Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Miramar Ranch North, Rancho Peñasquitos, Sabre Springs, San Pasqual, and Torrey Highlands. The San Diego native grew up in District 48 and graduated from UC Berkeley and Fordham University School of Law. She was previously a deputy city attorney and Peace Corp volunteer and also served as counsel on the House Education and Labor Committee.
Candidates who did not participate in forum
Ferguson Porter is a small business owner and writer who lives in Palm Springs. He did not participate in the forum. Neither did Marc Iannarino, a Navy veteran and bartender who also lives in Palm Springs.
Opening Statements
Marni von Wilpert wants to return to a democracy where everyone feels valued.
“I have been absolutely appalled by the horrific things we've seen from Trump's direction of the ICE raids in our country. It is completely un-American to go after people. “And now we're gonna have three young children who don't have a mother, because Renee Goode was shot and killed,” she said. “So I want to bring back some actual sanity and dignity and respect to our democracy.”
Ammar Campa-Najjar pointed out that he is the only candidate running who's gotten a single vote against Issa in the district and that should count for something.
“We have people in office who are selling their votes to the highest bidder, that's big pharma, big oil, the gun lobby, the private prisons. That's why we have the failed policies that we have today. We have elected officials who care more about profit making than policy making, and we need to change that,” he said. “So, as you're listening to all of us, you need to think about who do you think could actually win this seat.”
Corinna Contreras took aim at Immigration and Customs.
“It is critically important that we have a progressive candidate that can talk to everybody. I am the most progressive candidate here in this race,” Contreras said. “I do strongly believe that we need to defund and dissolve ICE immediately. We saw this coming. And we cannot continue to see ice bring terror into our communities.”
Brandon Riker said if he is elected, he will be the only trained economist in the House of Representatives.
“Every cycle we hear, in every election, we hear about how the economy is the main issue, and it's exactly correct. What we hear everywhere is affordability, but affordability means different things to different people,” Riker said. “For some people in the Coachella Valley, it may mean, is my COLA on Social Security gonna be enough to pay the increase in costs? For people in Idlewild and that part of the district, it's how am I going to afford fire insurance that's gone from $1,000 to $2,000 to $4,000 to $8,000.”
Abel Chavez says we need a workforce that can afford housing so the residents that live in their communities can serve in their communities.
“We need to ban corporate landlords and build more affordable housing, and we need to fix our immigration system and take ICE out, defund ICE so they stop murdering our people,” Chavez said. “I believe that in a country as wealthy as ours, we can have universal healthcare, just like every other developed nation, because it is more affordable. And I will fight tooth and nail for you in Congress, just as I do for the constituents I already serve.”
Jerlilia Ryans described herself as a lifetime Democrat, a small business owner, an attorney, and a care provider for her siblings.
“What I see now, I cannot tolerate anymore. I've been voting for the same people over and over and within the same results,” she said. “I'm not a politician, I'm just an average citizen that want changes in landscape and policy,”
Fundraising
When the focus turned to fundraising, the candidates discussed how much of their own money they have contributed to their campaigns versus how much they have raised.
Riker said he has raised more than $1.5 million, about half of which is his. Campa-Najjar has raised almost $1 million from 30,000 individual donors. Von Wilpert says she has raised $540,000 so far and she also donated $1,200. Chavez has given his campaign $35,000 and has bout $200,000 on hand. Ryans has contributed $15,000 of her money and raised another $45,000. Contreras said she has raised $12,000 and has another $30,000 in the sideline.
Community Engagement
The candidates were asked to give an example of how they have turned community engagement into measurable outcomes in the past.
Contreras mentioned how the Vista City Council recently passed a Community Safety and Due Process resolution. Von Wilpert talked about financial assistance for teacher housing in her district. Campa-Najjar said he is using his moral authority to change communities.
“I'm currently working with Grossmont University (sic) and the Holocaust Museum based out of D.C. to bring us an exhibit here in San Diego so we never forget,” he said.
It was the only mention specifically about East County.