Contact: Aly Ferguson
aly@newpolitics.org; 480-363-6465
The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and San Diego City Councilmember wins one of California’s most competitive House races.
WASHINGTON D.C. (November 4, 2026) — Marni von Wilpert, endorsed by New Politics, has won the race for California's 48th Congressional District, securing a key victory for Democrats. Von Wilpert served in the Peace Corps in Botswana during the AIDS epidemic and flipped San Diego’s most conservative city council seat before launching her run for Congress.
Emily Cherniack, Founder and Executive Director of New Politics, released the following statement:
“Marni von Wilpert has a habit of winning where people say a Democrat can't. She did it on the San Diego City Council, and she did it again tonight. Voters can tell when someone has spent their life showing up for other people, whether that's serving in Botswana during the AIDS crisis or going after corporations that rip off working families. Marni is going to bring that same grit to Congress. New Politics is thrilled to see her help put the House back in Democratic hands.”
New Politics is an organization that revitalizes American democracy by recruiting, developing, and electing leaders across the ideological and political spectrum who have committed their lives to serving their communities and our country, either through military service, national service organizations like AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps, or by demonstrating strong service-based leadership in their community. New Politics' support includes strategic advising and training in all aspects of a candidate's campaign, such as fundraising, communications, organizing, hiring, and team building. New Politics has raised over $40 million to support over 475 candidates, successfully electing more than 200 of them to office, from Congress to School Board. Learn more at newpolitics.org.
