By Miriam Raftery
June 3, 2026 (San Diego) – In the race to fill the redrawn 48th Congressional district seat being vacated by the retirement of Republican Darrell Issa, a a redrawn district that Democrats hope to flip from red to blue, the November run-off will be between Supervisor Jim Desmond, a Republican, and San Diego City Councilmember Marni Von Wilpert, a district. Desmond currently has 41.6% of the votes counted thus far, while von Wilpert has 19.5%.
In a field of 12 candidates, Ammar Campa-Najjar is a distant third place with 9.5%. The Naval reserve officer and educator who formerly worked in the Obama administration Labor department, has run twice before for Congress unsuccessfully against Issa and Duncan D. Hunter. Though some votes remain to be tallied, it is not expected to shift the strong leads held by Desmond and von Wilpert.
Campa-Najjar has conceded the race. In a statement posted on Facebook, he concluded, “While my political career is permanently over, I’m deeply grateful to the voters and supporters who let me into their lives and enriched mine. I promise to continue to serve my country and community, because true patriotism means loving your country even when it doesn’t always love us back. Americans are better than our politics,” he added, voicing hope that “someday soon, we will fix our broken political system and make it worthy of us.”
Outside groups spent more than $3.5 million against Campa-Najjar in the race — with Democratic Majority for Israel alone spending more than $2 million against him. Von Wilpert raised more than $1.25 million in the campaign, more than anyone else in the field.
Campa-Najjar drew criticism in campaign ads for shifting positions on some issues and for his stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He recalled entering politics to give “a voice to the voiceless.” The election loss is a bitter pill for Campa-Najjar, coming on the heels of even more devastating losses. He reflected, “I unapologetically defended working families like the one that raised me. Mexican immigrants like my abuelos terrorized by ICE, friend who were gunned down at a San Diego mosque I went to school at as a child, and dared to speak truth to power about my Palestinian relatives who were killed during the siege on Gaza…Speaking these truths came at a price,” he added. “Super PACS and shell organizations advocating for a foreign government poured more than $5 million against us, more than all other Democratic congressional candidates in the country combined.”
Long considered a safely conservative bastion, the 48th District is being closely watched across the country — a direct result of California Proposition 50, which altered the region’s political boundaries. The once strongly conservative district now has a five point Democratic voter registration over Republican registration and is a seat Democrats hope to flip in their quest to regain control of Congress.
The newly drawn 48th District now forms a sprawling, diverse geographic footprint that includes Escondido, Vista, Warner Springs, Santa Ysabel, Borrego Springs, Descanso and Pine Valley, as well as parts of Oceanside, Riverside County and Palm Springs.
In a media statement late last night, Desmond said, “This win belongs to the families who are sick of being taxed out of their own neighborhoods, to the small business owners hanging on, to the seniors stretching a fixed income further every month. They’re done being ignored by politicians who tax everything and listen to no one. “ He added, “They voted for a secure border, lower taxes, and a chance to actually afford the life they’ve worked for. I hear them, and I’m not going to forget it.”
Von Wilpert told East County Magazine earlier this month, “I am running to stand up to Donald Trump. We need to take our country back. We need to unrig our economy so that it works for everyone, not just a wealthy few. We need healthcare that makes people healthier and not poorer. And we need to stop Donald Trump’s chaos and confusion, including having a functioning immigration system and stopping the unAmerican, aggressive tactics of ICE.” She added that she has “spent my whole life in public service” including working as a civil rights lawyer, serving in the Peace Corps, and as a local prosecutor prosecuting corporations that violated the law. A Scripps Ranch resident, she has also pledged to fight for strong fire protection and to fully fund FEMA for disaster relief.