SAN DIEGO — San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond and San Diego District 5 City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert appear to be headed for a runoff in the 48th Congressional District race in November, according to early results from Tuesday’s Primary Election.
Unofficial results were posted by the San Diego County Registrar’s Office and the California Secretary of State’s Office early Wednesday morning. In San Diego County, just over 503,000 ballots have been counted, and results will be updated again by 6 p.m. on Thursday.
The 48th District includes portions of both San Diego and Riverside counties, and is currently represented by Rep. Darrell Issa. The top two vote-getters in the primary will proceed to the General Election, although many votes remain to be counted.
Desmond, a Republican, is leading the race with 41.6% of the vote, followed by Von Wilpert, a Democrat, with 19.5%.
“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,” Desmond said in a statement on Tuesday night. “They’re done being ignored by politicians who tax everything and listen to no one. 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 also acknowledged the results in a statement on social media Tuesday night.
“Incredible results tonight — #CA48 is ready for leadership that takes on Trump’s reckless agenda and puts working families first. Onwards to November!” von Wilpert said.
Democrat and Navy veteran Ammar Campa-Najjar, who has been battling von Wilpert for a spot on the November ballot, received 9.5% of the vote. He previously ran for the 50th Congressional District in 2018 and 2020, and for Chula Vista mayor in 2022.
“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,” Campa-Najjar said in a statement.
Additional results included Kevin Patrick O’Neill with 7.2%, Brandon Riker with 6.6%, Corinna Contreras with 4.8%, Abel Chavez with 4.8%, and Mike Schaefer with 2.8%. Stephen Clemons, Luis F. Reyna, Eric Shaw, and Ferguson Porter all earned less than 1%.
Desmond entered the 48th race just two months before the primary. He originally challenged Rep. Mike Levin in the 49th District race, and then switched over to the 48th after Issa announced he would not seek re-election.
This is the first election using the redrawn 48th District following the passage of Proposition 50 last year, which redrew boundaries for five Congressional districts in California in favor of Democrats.
The new 48th shed many of its former East County regions to add the areas of Escondido, Vista, San Marcos in San Diego County and Palm Springs in Riverside County.
Statewide results are available from the California Secretary of State at dp.electionresults.sos.ca.gov. San Diego County results are available at sdvote.com.
