Political Notes: LGBTQ leaders endorse bi San Diego councilmember’s House bid

A number of LGBTQ leaders have early endorsed bisexual San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert’s 2026 bid for a U.S. House seat. She is aiming to be the second bi woman in Congress elected from California.

Unopposed in her reelection race last year, she had officially launched in March a bid for the open state Senate District 40 seat next year. But von Wilpert changed course and announced September 3 she was now seeking election to the state’s 48th Congressional District.

“I’ve spent my life in public service – fighting for workers, protecting communities, and standing up for LGBTQ families like mine,” wrote von Wilpert in a BlueSky post announcing her decision. “I’m proud to be part of the LGBTQ community. Representation matters – and I’ve spent my career fighting for equality, safety, and dignity for every family, while standing up to those who try to divide us.”

She is vying for the Southern California House seat currently held by Congressmember Darrell Issa (R-Vista) that includes the eastern sections of San Diego County running from the Mexican border north to Temecula and Murrieta in Riverside County. Yet, should the redistricting ballot measure Proposition 50 be adopted by California voters this November, the LGBTQ retirement and resort mecca of Palm Springs would be redrawn into Issa’s House seat.

Crowded field
That prospect has scrambled the field of Democratic candidates for several House races in recent weeks, with von Wilpert being the latest out contender to change their electoral plans. As the Political Notes column reported last month, gay entrepreneur and trained economist Brandon Riker plans to run against Issa should Prop 50 pass.

Earlier this year, Riker launched a campaign to oust conservative Congressmember Ken Calvert (R-Corona) from his 41st Congressional District seat. It currently has Palm Springs in it, though gay attorney Will Rollins was unable to defeat Calvert in the last two election cycles and has said he has no plans to run again in 2026.

Lawyer Anuj Dixit had planned to take on Calvert but now plans to run against Issa should the House maps change. And Ammar Campa-Najjar, after losing to Issa in 2020, is likely to run again in the redrawn district, joining on the ballot already declared candidate Brian Nash, who ran unsuccessfully for state Senate.

Lesbian reproductive rights advocate Whitney Shanahan pulled papers to run against Issa next year after losing to him in the March 2024 primary. Gay immigration attorney Curtis Morrison announced earlier this year his campaign to oust Issa from office and recently told the Bay Area Reporter he intends to remain in the race even though he would be redistricted into the new 49th Congressional District should Prop 50 pass.

Congressional candidates are not required to live in the House district they aim to represent. And with Congressmember Mike Levin (D-Dana Point) expected to seek another term in the 49th House District, Morrison said he would vote to reelect him.

 
Flipped council seat
As for von Wilpert, she is playing up the fact that of the current list of candidates, she is the only one who is an elected official. And as she noted to the B.A.R. in the spring when talking about her plans then to run for a legislative seat, von Wilpert had flipped her council seat in 2020 out of the Republican column.

“I’m the only Democrat in this race who’s won an election, and this race will be a tough one – but with your help, we’ll flip CA-48 and send Darrell Issa packing,” von Wilpert highlighted in her House race announcement.

Backing her in that effort are gay state legislators Senator Steve Padilla and Assemblymember Chris Ward, both Democrats from San Diego; nonbinary and pansexual District 3 San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer; gay San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn; and lesbian City Councilmembers Dr. Jennifer Campbell of San Diego and Lauren Cazares of La Mesa. Suzanne Till, a Democratic water district board member who dropped out of the House race to now seek the 40th state Senate seat, has early endorsed von Wilpert’s congressional candidacy.

Also among von Wilpert’s early endorsers listed on her redesigned campaign site for the House race is Democratic Virginia Congressmember Bobby Scott. He pointed to her work on workplace protections legislation in his endorsement.

“She is highly qualified and will be an exceptional member of the United States Congress,” stated Scott.

A 2005 graduate of UC Berkeley, where she earned a degree in peace and conflict studies, von Wilpert entered the Peace Corps and cared for people living with HIV and AIDS in rural Botswana. She later received a law degree from Fordham University in New York in 2011.

Her career has spanned a federal appellate court clerkship and being an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board and the Economic Policy Institute to six years with the San Diego City Attorney’s office. She left after winning her City Council seat, which includes her hometown’s northern neighborhoods of Rancho Bernardo, Scripps Ranch, Torrey Highlands, and Rancho Peñasquitos.

Should von Wilpert win the House seat, she would return bisexual representation to California’s congressional delegation. Former congressmember Katie Hill’s election in November 2018 marked the first time an LGBTQ female candidate won a House seat in the Golden State, but she resigned a year later after nude photos of her were leaked amid news she had an affair with a campaign staffer.

Currently, there are just two gay congressmembers from California, Democrats Mark Takano of Riverside and Robert Garcia of Long Beach. Both are expected to easily win reelection in 2026 even under new maps created by the passage of Prop 50.

The B.A.R. had covered one other California House race next year with an out candidate, gay politico Jake Rakov of Studio City. He was one of several Democrats taking on Congressmember Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) in Los Angeles County’s 32nd Congressional District.

But due to Prop 50 scrambling candidates’ electoral plans for 2026, Rakov announced September 5 that he was suspending his campaign. He is fully behind seeing the ballot measure be passed, and called on Sherman to transfer some of his campaign funds toward the Yes on 50 effort.

“With so many Democrats now running in the 32nd District, the top-two primary math doesn’t add up anymore. If all of the announced Democrats continue in the race, Congressman Sherman will face a Republican in the general election again, ensuring that he’ll remain in Congress in a safe Democratic district,” wrote Rakov in an email explaining his decision. “I could stay in the race to continue making the case that we need a new generation of Democrats with bold ideas in Washington, but with the fight for Congress, our country, and the Democratic Party entering new territory, I can’t justify using resources just to make a point.”

Yet, Rakov did leave the door open to restarting his House bid.

“If members like Congressman Sherman, with over $4 million in his campaign account, a sum he would never come close to needing to defend his seat, don’t financially support the campaign with a seven-figure contribution, the California Democratic Party should call for their resignation. If Congressman Sherman isn’t willing to stand up for democracy, it could potentially spur me back into the campaign after November,” wrote Rakov.

UPDATED 9/5/25 to note Jake Rakov's campaign suspension.
 
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