Federal · Statewide General Election
United States Representative, District 48
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.
On the ballot
- Marni von Wilpert — Democratic
- Jim Desmond — Republican
This person holds your district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (2-year term).
This is an open seat and one of the most evenly funded contests on the ballot: Republican Jim Desmond led the June 2 primary with 38.9% on $2,258,836, and Democrat Marni von Wilpert took 20.8% on $2,174,872 — a difference of under $85,000 between them. The district covers inland north San Diego County.
The winner holds one of 435 seats in the U.S. House for a two-year term. A member introduces bills, sits on committees that shape federal legislation, votes on the federal budget and on war powers, and handles casework between constituents and federal agencies. Because this seat is open, whoever wins starts at the bottom of the seniority ladder.
Neither candidate has held state or federal legislative office and the money is close to level, so neither resources nor record separates them — party and local background do. Both drew the large majority of their funding from named individuals rather than committees, which is unusual for a competitive open seat at this scale.
Jim Desmond
Republican, who led the June primary with 38.9% of the vote. He raised $2,258,836, of which $2,024,358 came from individuals and $145,099 from PACs and committees. He has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
He led the field by 18 points, and 90% of his funding came from named individuals — among the least committee-dependent large campaigns on this ballot.
Trade-offs
He led with 38.9%, short of a majority; and he has no state or federal legislative record to be judged on.
Keep in mind
In an open seat with a fragmented primary, June's order is a weak guide to November.
Marni von Wilpert
Democrat, who advanced with 20.8% of the June vote. She raised $2,174,872, of which $1,684,546 came from individuals and $441,300 from PACs and committees. She has not served in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress.
Strengths
She matched her opponent's fundraising almost exactly, with 77% of it from named individuals.
Trade-offs
She finished 18 points behind despite comparable resources, and has no state or federal legislative record to be judged on.
Keep in mind
When two open-seat candidates raise nearly identical sums, the June gap is about support rather than spending power.
Record in office
This is an open seat: no candidate on the November ballot currently serves in the California Legislature or U.S. Congress, so there is no legislative record to compare here. These records cover only those offices.
Financial info
- Individuals
- PACs & committees
- Party
- Self-funding
Marni von Wilpert
$2,174,872 raised
- Individuals$1,684,54679%
- PACs & committees$441,30021%
- Party$2,035<1%
- Self-funding$1,975<1%
Jim Desmond
$2,258,836 raised
- Individuals$2,024,35893%
- PACs & committees$145,0997%
1Total raised is all receipts for the 2026 cycle; the breakdown lists direct contributions, so the pieces can sum below the total. Figures are FEC filings through June 30, 2026, per the FEC bulk campaign-finance summaries, retrieved 2026-08-22.
June 2 primary — how they advanced
Source review: Very strong (94/100) · 4 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)CA Secretary of State — Statement of Vote, June 2, 2026 primary (certified 2026-07-10)
- ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia — June 2026 California primary
- unitedstates.github.io (opens in a new tab)congress-legislators — current members of Congress (unitedstates project)
- fec.gov (opens in a new tab)FEC — 2026 House & Senate current-campaign financial summaries (bulk data)
Last updated August 11, 2026.