Darrell Issa
RIncumbentFEC H0CA48024
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Raised this cycle$2.2M
Cash on hand: $294K
2026 race
CA-48 — U.S. House
2 candidates on the November ballot. Incumbent: Darrell Issa.
Read the record. Not the rhetoric.
See where these candidates stand — and who's funding them.
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How we got here · 1 earlier contest
Primary · Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Called by audit: web-verified
Top-two primary — Jim Desmond and Marni von Wilpert advanced to the general election.
- RJim DesmondAdvanced to general41.4%
- DMarni von WilpertAdvanced to general19.5%
- DAmmar Campa-NajjarDefeated9.7%
Currently held by
Darrell Issa (R) — not seeking re-election in 2026. They've publicly announced their retirement; their committee is still on the FEC's 2026 roster for routine compliance, but this is effectively an open seat.
Election held
Counting
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Results appear here once a race is called and verified. Official returns from the California Secretary of State.
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$23M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Marni von Wilpert
DChallengerFEC H6CA48310
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Raised this cycle$5.0M
Cash on hand: $659K
Jim Desmond
RChallengerFEC H6CA49128
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Raised this cycle$3.2M
Cash on hand: $718K
Brandon Riker
DChallengerFEC H6CA41265
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Raised this cycle$2.3M
Cash on hand: $624
Abel Chavez
DChallengerFEC H6CA41224
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Raised this cycle$473K
Cash on hand: $10K
Anuj Dixit
DChallengerFEC H6CA41281
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Raised this cycle$466K
Cash on hand: $168K
Ferguson Porter
DChallengerFEC H6CA41232
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Raised this cycle$62K
Cash on hand: $22K
Marc Iannarino
DChallengerFEC H6CA48336
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Raised this cycle$45K
Cash on hand: $0
Corinna Contreras
DChallengerFEC H6CA48344
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Raised this cycle$36K
Cash on hand: $0
Curtis Morrison
DChallengerFEC H6CA48260
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Raised this cycle$36K
Cash on hand: $0
Suzanne Marie Till
DChallengerFEC H6CA48286
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Raised this cycle$7K
Cash on hand: $0
Ammar Campa-Najjar
DChallengerFEC H8CA50098
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Raised this cycle$5K
Cash on hand: $0
Local signal
Early read on CA-48 — U.S. House
A directional read on where this seat is trending, from the signals we have so far. This is an early scaffold — more inputs light up as coverage and constituent activity accrue.
Coverage tone · mixed
Recent news coverage of Darrell Issa over the last 90 days.
0 positive11 neutral0 negative
11 articles · AI-assessed sentiment toward the rep. A media signal, not a poll of the district.
Constituent stakes
No one here has staked a position on a tracked vote yet. As neighbors weigh in on /pressure campaigns, the district's lean will show up here.
Money in the race
Finance breakdown
Disclosed funding shaping this race — both the money candidates raise themselves and the outside spending dropped by independent groups. Issue-ad spending by 501(c)(4) groups is excluded; the FEC doesn't require disclosure of it. See the note below for details.
Candidate fundraising: FEC reports through October 14, 2026 · 2025–26 cycle
Total disclosed
$23M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$14M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$9.5M
$3.2M for · $6.3M against
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Marni von Wilpert(D) + PROJECT 218 $900K + ELECT DEMOCRATIC WOMEN $390K + EQUALITY PAC $326K − SERVING CA $653K − HEALTH CARE SAVES LIVES $125K | $5.0M | $2.2M | $778K | $6.4M |
Brandon Riker(D) + UPSET THE SETUP $198K + BLUE MAJORITY PROJECT $35K + DEMOCRATIC FUTURE PAC $3K | $2.3M | $237K | — | $2.5M |
Darrell Issa(R)incumbent − ACTIVATE AMERICA $3K − VOTER TO VOTER PAC $63 | $2.2M | — | $4K | $2.2M |
Abel Chavez(D) | $473K | — | — | $473K |
Anuj Dixit(D) | $466K | — | — | $466K |
Jim Desmond(R) + MAJORITY PAC $63K + REFORM LEADERS PAC $4K − HMP $2.7M − 48TH ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT $338K − ACTIVATE AMERICA $305 | $3.2M | $66K | $3.1M | $170K |
Ferguson Porter(D) | $62K | — | — | $62K |
Marc Iannarino(D) | $45K | — | — | $45K |
Corinna Contreras(D) | $36K | — | — | $36K |
Curtis Morrison(D) | $36K | — | — | $36K |
Suzanne Marie Till(D) | $7K | — | — | $7K |
Ammar Campa-Najjar(D) + VOTEVETS $444K + SERVING CA $291K − DMFI PAC $2.0M − HEALTH CARE SAVES LIVES $323K − CRUSH MAGA PAC $161K | $5K | $735K | $2.5M | −$1.7M |
Where the money comes from
In-state vs out-of-state
Share of each candidate's itemized individual contributions from donors inside CA versus the rest of the country. Excludes sub-$200 unitemized donations (no geography on file) and PAC money — see note below.
Marni von Wilpert(D)70% in-state · $1.4M itemized
$971K in-state$425K out-of-state
Brandon Riker(D)64% in-state · $718K itemized
$463K in-state$255K out-of-state
Darrell Issa(R)65% in-state · $1.2M itemized
$763K in-state$412K out-of-state
Abel Chavez(D)76% in-state · $62K itemized
$47K in-state$15K out-of-state
Anuj Dixit(D)56% in-state · $384K itemized
$215K in-state$169K out-of-state
Jim Desmond(R)93% in-state · $1.9M itemized
$1.7M in-state$130K out-of-state
Ferguson Porter(D)55% in-state · $30K itemized
$16K in-state$13K out-of-state
Marc Iannarino(D)31% in-state · $31K itemized
$9K in-state$21K out-of-state
Corinna Contreras(D)99% in-state · $20K itemized
$20K in-state$250 out-of-state
Curtis Morrison(D)33% in-state · $9K itemized
$3K in-state$6K out-of-state
Suzanne Marie Till(D)100% in-state · $4K itemized
$4K in-state$0 out-of-state
What's counted, what isn't
Candidate-direct is each campaign's reported receipts on FEC Schedule A — individual contributions plus PAC contributions to the candidate's own committee — through the most recent filing.
Outside spending is independent expenditures on FEC Schedule E: money spent by PACs, super PACs, and party committees for or against a candidate, without legal coordination with the campaign. The committees listed under each candidate are the largest disclosed spenders on either side.
In-state vs out-of-state covers only itemized individual contributions — donations over $200, which are the only ones that carry a contributor address at the FEC. Sub-$200 unitemized donations (often a large share for grassroots campaigns) have no geography on file and are excluded, as is PAC money. So the percentages describe where a candidate's itemized individual money comes from, not where every dollar raised comes from.
Not counted: 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations run issue ads that frequently mention candidates by name but aren't classified as express advocacy under FEC rules — they file no Schedule E and don't appear in this breakdown. Press reporting on a race may cite figures that include this dark-money spending; ours doesn't.
Where they stand
Issue-by-issue comparison
Positions extracted from each candidate's campaign issues page by AI. Contested rows — where candidates disagree with each other — appear first.
| Statement | Von wilpert | Desmond | Riker | Issa | Chavez | Dixit | Porter | Iannarino | Contreras | Morrison | Till | Campa-najjar | You |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abortion A national law should protect access to abortion in every state. | — | ||||||||||||
Abortion Tax dollars should not pay for abortions. | — | ||||||||||||
Abortion Each state should set its own abortion laws. | — | ||||||||||||
Abortion Access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments should be protected by federal law. | — | ||||||||||||
Digital Assets Cryptocurrency exchanges and tokens should be regulated under a dedicated digital-asset framework rather than existing securities law (CLARITY Act-style). | — | ||||||||||||
Digital Assets Federal regulation of stablecoin issuers (GENIUS Act-style oversight) should be strengthened. | — | ||||||||||||
Economy The federal minimum wage should be raised. | — | ||||||||||||
Economy Tariffs on foreign goods should be used to protect American jobs. | — | ||||||||||||
Education Federal Title IX protections should explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity. | — | ||||||||||||
Environment The government should set legally enforceable limits on greenhouse gas emissions. | — | ||||||||||||
Environment Government environmental reviews for energy and infrastructure projects should move faster, even if it means fewer reviews. | — | ||||||||||||
Foreign Policy The U.S. should keep sending military aid to Ukraine. | — | ||||||||||||
Foreign Policy The U.S. should spend more on the military. | — | ||||||||||||
Guns All gun sales — including private ones — should require a background check. | — | ||||||||||||
Guns Civilian ownership of AR-15-style rifles should be restricted. | — | ||||||||||||
Guns Federal law should authorize court-issued red-flag orders allowing temporary firearm removal from people deemed a danger. | — | ||||||||||||
Guns Ghost guns and unfinished firearm components should be regulated as firearms under federal law. | — | ||||||||||||
Healthcare Medicare should be allowed to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. | — | ||||||||||||
Healthcare Enhanced ACA premium subsidies should be made permanent at expanded levels. | — | ||||||||||||
Healthcare A government-run public health insurance option should be added to the ACA marketplace. | — | ||||||||||||
Housing The government should spend more building affordable housing. | — | ||||||||||||
Immigration People who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children should have a path to citizenship. | — | ||||||||||||
Immigration The U.S. should do more to enforce immigration laws and secure the border. | — | ||||||||||||
Labor Federal labor law should make it easier for workers to form unions (PRO Act-style reforms). | — | ||||||||||||
Governance & Other Voters should be required to show photo ID, with the same rule in every state. | — | ||||||||||||
Governance & Other Outside political spending — from PACs and super PACs — should be limited more strictly. | — | ||||||||||||
Social Security Workers should be able to invest part of their Social Security in the stock market. | — |
SupportsOpposesNo public positionRinged = confirmed by the campaign
Recent coverage
In the news
Jim Desmond
- Californians blast Trump remark that Iran could ‘take out’ L.A., San Diego | Honolulu Star-AdvertiserHonolulu Star-AdvertiserOct 6
- House Speaker Mike Johnson stumping and fundraising for California GOP congressional candidatesLos Angeles TimesSep 30
- California Republicans walk a tightrope as Trump jumps into midterms campaigningLos Angeles TimesSep 20
- 2026 midterm election races to watchCBS NewsSep 13
About this race page
Candidate roster is sourced from the FEC's active-candidate list for the 2026 cycle. Fundraising totals reflect committee filings through the last reporting period.
Alignment % compares the candidate's extracted policy positions against your quiz answers. Positions are pulled from the candidate's campaign issues page by AI; we save the source quote for each position so you can verify the extraction. Candidates without a campaign issues page show position data pending — we're working through the roster and re-checking stale extractions every 90 days.
News coverage is from the GDELT 2.0 global news feed, filtered to a curated list of national, political, and regional outlets.