San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert declared victory over San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond in the 48th Congressional District race on Tuesday, Nov. 3, holding a lead of nearly 19 percentage points with 64 percent of the vote counted, according to The Hill, citing Decision Desk HQ.

The result, if it holds, would make San Diego County's entire House delegation Democratic for the first time.

La Jolla sits in the neighboring 50th Congressional District, where Rep. Scott Peters won re-election. But the 48th District flip carries countywide weight: von Wilpert would join Peters and Democratic Reps. Sara Jacobs, Mike Levin and Juan Vargas in Washington, KPBS reported.

The Associated Press had not called the race as of Wednesday morning, Nov. 4.

Von Wilpert addressed supporters at a watch party in San Marcos on election night, according to KPBS.

"I am so glad that our nation chose love over fear," von Wilpert said. "Yes, when it comes to these horrific ICE raids, we're going to stop ICE from tearing our communities apart."

She also said she would work to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, restore Roe vs. Wade and pass the Equal Rights Amendment, according to KPBS.

The 48th District spans portions of San Diego and Riverside counties, including San Marcos, Escondido, Vista, Temecula and Palm Springs. It was previously held by Rep. Darrell Issa, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Issa had endorsed Desmond.

Desmond, who also carried President Donald Trump's endorsement, spoke to supporters at the US Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego on election night, according to Times of San Diego.

"We got to keep going, San Diego. Keep those votes coming in, and we're going to keep counting them until we win," Desmond told the crowd.

The district was one of five California congressional seats targeted by Proposition 50, a redistricting measure state voters approved in November 2025. Prop. 50 redrew the 48th to include more Democratic-leaning areas, flipping the balance of registered voters in the district from Republican to Democratic, according to KPBS. Gov. Gavin Newsom said at the time that Prop. 50 was a way to "fight fire with fire" after Texas Republicans redrew their state's congressional map.

Von Wilpert, first elected to the San Diego City Council in 2020, campaigned on workers' rights, healthcare and cost of living, according to Times of San Diego. Desmond ran on border security and affordability.

Stephen Goggin, an associate professor of political science at San Diego State University, told Times of San Diego that most of San Diego County is consistently blue and the 48th "may have been competitive just given national trends."

"San Diego County has always been kind of trending in the Democratic direction, particularly in the recent decade or two," Goggin said.

If von Wilpert is sworn in, her departure from the San Diego City Council's 5th District seat would trigger a special election, according to KPBS. The council would set that election date once the seat is officially vacated.