Desmond advances, von Wilpert leads Dems in CA-48 early vote
This is a developing story. This post will be updated as new vote counts are released.Republican County Supervisor Jim Desmond will face Democratic San Diego Councilmember Marni von Wilpert in the redrawn 48th Congressional district.The race to replace retiring Rep. Darrell Issa is among the most-watched contests in the nation, and could determine partisan control of the House.
Desmond, the former mayor of San Marcos who now represents a piece of CA-48 on the County Board of Supervisors, took 41.6% of the vote as of early Wednesday morning. Von Wilpert, who represents the northern, inland suburbs in the city of San Diego, is in second with 19.7% of the vote. The Associated Press called the race for both candidates.Ammar Campa-Najjar, a three-time Democratic candidate who faced overwhelming opposition spending in the closing weeks of the race, finished in a distant third place with 9.6% of the vote. He conceded early Wednesday, saying his political career is permanently over.“I feel rea…