Top Candidates for the 48th Congressional District Live Outside Its Borders

The race for the 48th Congressional District is already shaping up to be a competitive one. 

A slew of candidates are lining up to run against incumbent Rep. Darrell Issa if Proposition 50, the state’s redistricting measure, passes this November, including San Diego City Councilmember Marni Von Wilpert and Ammar Campa-Najjar, who lost the seat to Issa in 2020. 

But some of the top candidates vying for the seat don’t live in the current or proposed 48th District. The 48th District now includes central and eastern portions of San Diego County including Bonsall, Poway, Santee, Fallbrook, portions of Escondido, Romona and Temecula. The proposed 48th map would bring in Vista, parts of Oceanside and portions of Palm Springs while cutting out Poway, Romona, Santee and Lakeside. 

While members of Congress aren’t required to reside in the districts they represent, it breaks with current local precedent: four of the five members of the U.S. House of Representatives currently representing San Diego County live in their districts, including Issa. 

A spokesperson for Rep. Juan Vargas, who represents the 52nd Congressional District, confirmed that Vargas does not live in his district, but lives a few blocks outside of it. 

If Proposition 50 passes, the 48th District may become one of the only districts in the county to have a representative living far outside of the district’s boundaries. 

In less than six weeks, California voters will decide whether to redraw political boundaries to create five more Democratic seats. The measure is Gov. Gavin Newsom’s response to an effort by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Trump Administration to redraw district boundaries in Texas and add more Republican seats.  

The 48th district, currently represented by Issa, will see the most significant change and is one of the five seats Newsom said he wants to flip from Republican to Democrat.  

In the new 48th District, the balance of voter registrations would shift to strongly favoring Democrats, which would make Issa’s bid for re-election a difficult one in 2026. That’s opened the door for multiple Democrats, including Campa-Najjar and Von Wilpert, to throw their hats in the ring. 

Campa-Najjar and a spokesperson for Von Wilpert both told Voice of San Diego that that living outside of the district doesn’t impact how well they know the district and the issues residents care about. 

Dan Rottenstreich, a consultant for Von Wilpert’s campaign, said the district she currently represents on the City Council, which includes Rancho Bernardo, San Pasqual, Carmel Mountain Ranch and more, has many of the same issues and priorities as the 48th. 

“This is Marni’s community. She’s represented North San Diego on the City Council, she had her confirmation in Poway. There’s no question that Marni is rooted in this community,” Rottenstreich said. “Voters in this district are looking for somebody who knows the community, whose values are clear and who can defeat Darrell Issa in November, and she is that candidate.” 

Rottenstreich added that there are upwards of 50 members of Congress in California who don’t live in the districts they represent.  

“In these congressional districts, it doesn’t tend to be the priority for these races,” Rottenstreich said. “It’s really about, ‘Are you from the region? Do you have a deep knowledge of the district and its issues? Do you have the experience and credentials?’ And for Marni, the answer is yes to all of those.” 

Campa-Najjar told Voice that he hasn’t heard concerns from voters about where he lives because people in the district know him well. 

“I’m in a unique position that 166,000 residents wanted me to represent them in the last election – that’s how many people voted for me,” Campa-Najjar said. “People are really excited for fresh new leadership. Everyone keeps telling me, ‘We need someone who can win.’ My answer is, ‘I almost did. I got closer than anyone else,’ and now we’re building.” 

“As I’ve talked to hundreds of people, residents care about their community issues: cost of living, fire season, ICE raids, education,” he added. “That’s what I’m hearing from voters more than anything else.” 

Another candidate who has his eyes set on the 48th District seat is Democrat Brandon Riker. He’s currently running to represent the 41st District where he’s hoping to unseat longtime incumbent Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. 

But if Proposition 50 passes – or “when” Proposition 50 passes, as Riker put it – he’s ready to take on Issa for the 48th District seat.  

Either way, Riker is adamant that he will run for the district that includes his home in Palm Springs. 

“For me, I think it’s important that the person who represents the district lives their life in the district,” Riker said. “I work in my district, I go to the grocery store in my district, my neighbors are in the district. I hear from my neighbors what they care about, and I see the issues every day.” 

He added that Calvert, similar to Issa, hasn’t held a town hall in his district in several years. 

“Palm Springs is my home; it’s where I’ve lived for the past decade,” Riker said. “It deserves a representative who shows up for the community and can understand and empathize with what residents care about.” 

Democrat voting rights attorney Anuj Dixit is also hoping to unseat Issa in the 48th. Dixit currently lives in Riverside County but will “reside within the lines of that district,” if Prop. 50 passes, a spokesperson for his campaign told Voice via email. 

A spokesperson for Issa did not respond to a request for comment. 

The special election for Proposition 50 will be on Nov. 4, and the stakes are high. The measure will not only determine new district boundaries, but it will also shape multiple races for Congress in 2026, including in the 48th District.