Candidate · November 3, 2026
Marni von Wilpert
On the ballot for U.S. House · California's 48th District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $5.0M
- cash on hand
- $659K
- issues with public statements
- 28
- outside spending for or against
- $3.3M
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. House · California's 48th District1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Democratic1, |
| Status | Open seat — no incumbent is running for this seat. |
| How it's decided | Under California's top-two system, only the two candidates who received the most votes in the June 2, 2026, primary, regardless of party preference, appear on this general-election ballot.1, |
| Also on the ballot |
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§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Marni von Wilpert grew up in North San Diego County in a military family; her father immigrated to the United States and served in the Army.4 She served in the Peace Corps in Botswana, founded a legal clinic to fight discrimination in the Deep South, and worked as counsel to the House Education and Labor Committee and as a workers' rights attorney in the Obama administration.4,
Why they say they're running
Her campaign website says she is running to tackle the rising cost of living, stop ICE actions it describes as unlawful, protect reproductive freedom, defend LGBTQ rights and make Washington work for working families rather than the wealthy few.4 It also says she is running to stand up to President Trump and make life affordable again for the middle class.5
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitemarnivonwilpert.com1,
2 - Facebookfacebook.com/marniforcongress5
- Instagraminstagram.com/marni_von_wilpert5
- X (Twitter)x.com/marnivonwilpert5
- Blueskybsky.app/profile/marnivonwilpert.bsky.social5
- YouTubeyoutube.com/@MarnivonWilpertforCongress5
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Immigration
Her campaign website says she has opposed ICE's tactics in her community, that on the city council she pushed for San Diego to join Minneapolis's lawsuit against ICE, and that in Congress she would work to get masked ICE agents off the streets.7
Her campaign website says she supports reform that keeps the border secure and provides legal pathways to citizenship for hardworking long-term residents and Dreamers.7
- No new legal status, including for people brought here as children
- Legal status only for people brought here as children, such as DACA recipients
- Legal status, but not citizenship, for most who pass background checks and pay a fine
- A path to citizenship for most who meet requirements such as background checks
Elections and Government Reform
Her campaign website says she would ban members of Congress from trading stocks.7
- Ban members and their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks
- Ban members themselves from trading individual stocks
- No ban; keep the reporting rules, with stronger penalties for late reports
Her campaign website says Citizens United should be overturned to get dark money out of elections.7
- Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
- Keep spending unlimited but require groups to name their major donors
- Keep current rules
- Raise or remove limits on donations to candidates and parties
Courts, Rights and Civil Liberties
Her campaign website says Congress must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act to protect elections and expand access to the ballot.7
- Restore and widen protections by law, such as federal approval of voting changes in places with a history of discrimination (for example, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act)
- Keep current law, as the Supreme Court read it in 2026, without the federal approval requirement
- Stop applying the law to how district maps are drawn
Her campaign website says she would work to pass the Equality Act so the protections Californians have are guaranteed nationwide.7
- Pass broad protections such as the Equality Act
- Add protections with broad exemptions for religious groups and businesses
- No new federal protections; leave it to the states
Health Care
Her campaign website says she would protect and expand the Affordable Care Act and add a public option that gives families more affordable choices.7
- One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
- Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy
- Keep the current mix of private and public coverage, including the ACA
- Fewer federal insurance rules and more private plan choices, with aid paid to individuals
Her campaign website says she would restore the ACA tax credits.7
Her campaign website says she will push back against bans on gender-affirming care.7
Social Security and Medicare
Her campaign website says she would protect Social Security, oppose any cuts or privatization, and make sure the program is strengthened for current and future retirees.7
Her campaign website says she would expand Medicare's power to negotiate prescription drug prices and cap what families pay out of pocket.7
- Repeal or scale back negotiation
- Keep the program as it is
- Expand it to more drugs and to people with private insurance
Economy, Jobs and Trade
Her campaign website lists repealing President Trump's tariffs among her priorities and says she will fight what it calls his tariff war, which it says made essential goods more expensive.5,
- Lower or remove most tariffs
- Targeted tariffs on some countries or goods
- Broad tariffs on most imports
Her campaign website says she helped write the PRO Act as a congressional committee counsel and would pass it in Congress to strengthen workers' rights to organize and bargain.4,
- Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act)
- Keep current rules
- Add requirements such as a secret-ballot election before every union is recognized
Her campaign website says she supports legislation such as the CLARITY Act and the GENIUS Act that gives regulatory clarity for emerging technologies.4,
- Write separate federal rules for crypto, as the House-passed bill would, with most tokens overseen as commodities rather than securities
- Write separate crypto rules, but with stricter protections than the House-passed bill, such as tougher anti-money-laundering rules or ethics limits on senior officials' crypto businesses
- Apply the same rules that already cover stocks, banks and other financial products
Housing
Her campaign website says she would cut red tape and make it easier to build more affordable housing so people can live closer to where they work.7
Energy and Climate
Her campaign website says she would protect California's beaches and waters from President Trump's plan to drill for oil off the coast.7
Abortion and Reproductive Health
Her campaign website says she would be a deciding vote to write Roe v. Wade into federal law.7
- A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
- Leave abortion law to each state
- A national law limiting abortion (for example, after 15 weeks of pregnancy)
Her campaign website says she would lead efforts to reverse President Trump's cuts to Planned Parenthood.7
Her campaign website says she will protect the freedom to build a family through assisted reproductive care.7
Guns
Her campaign website says she will keep fighting for gun laws including universal background checks.7
- Require checks for all gun sales, including private sales (with exceptions such as gifts between family members)
- Require checks for private sales at gun shows and online, but not other private sales
- Keep current law, with checks required only for sales by licensed dealers
Her campaign website says she will keep fighting for gun laws including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.7
- Ban the sale of these rifles
- Keep sales legal, with added limits such as a minimum buying age of 21
- No bans or added limits on these rifles
Her campaign website says she will keep fighting for gun laws including stronger red flag laws.7
Foreign Policy and Defense
Her campaign website says she opposes President Trump's unauthorized wars.7
Her campaign website says she would work to end President Trump's war with Iran, which it calls costly.7
Her campaign website says she supports America's role in NATO and would work to rebuild America's alliances.7
Her campaign website says she would defend and expand programs such as PEPFAR, keep investing in global health, and restore funding for USAID.7
- Restore or increase foreign aid, including programs cut in 2025
- Keep foreign aid near its current level
- Cut foreign aid further or end most of it
Education
Her campaign website says she will fight book bans that target LGBTQ+ voices.7
Family and Social Policy
Her campaign website's LGBTQ+ rights section says she will protect the freedom to build a family through marriage, adoption or assisted reproductive care.7
- Keep same-sex marriage legal in every state
- Let each state decide whether to allow it
- Recognize only marriages between one man and one woman
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.8
| Raised | $4,966,576 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $4,307,440 |
| Cash on hand | $659,136 |
| Debts owed by the campaign | $20,000 |
Where the money came from
Outside spending
Groups spending independently reported $2,351,869 supporting and $933,754 opposing Marni von Wilpert this cycle, primary and general combined, in the 24- and 48-hour reports the law requires for larger expenditures, filed through October 24, 2026.9
| Group | Supporting | Opposing |
|---|---|---|
| Project 218 | $900,000 | — |
| Serving CA | — | $653,454 |
| Equality PAC | $514,335 | — |
| Elect Democratic Women | $390,000 | — |
| NO GOING BACK PAC INC. | — | $195,574 |
| Worker Power PAC | $150,000 | — |
| Women Vote | $139,000 | — |
| Health Care Saves Lives | $127,940 | — |
Smaller expenditures that appear only on a group's regular monthly or quarterly report aren't in these totals, so the full amounts can be somewhat higher. When a group amends a report, only its latest version is counted.
§5Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
- Candidate financial disclosure report10filed May 14, 2026
- Candidate financial disclosure report11filed Dec 31, 2025