Washington, DC – Equality PAC released the following statement congratulating Congresswoman-elect Marni von Wilpert on her historic victory in California’s 48th Congressional District, flipping a longtime Republican-held seat. Her victory also marks a historic milestone for the LGBTQ community: the district, which includes the historic LGBTQ community of Palm Springs, will be represented in Congress by an openly LGBTQ person for the first time.
“Marni von Wilpert’s victory is proof that when we identify strong LGBTQ candidates, invest early, and give them the resources to compete, we can win in places others write off,” said Equality PAC Co-Chair Ranking Member Mark Takano. “From the moment Marni entered this race, Equality PAC recognized that she had the experience, strength, and vision to flip this seat. We were proud to stand with her through a tough primary and invest in building a campaign capable of taking on a longtime Republican-held district. There were plenty of doubters who questioned whether an openly LGBTQ candidate could win here. Tonight, Marni answered them.”
“Her victory is historic not only because she flipped this seat, but because the people of Palm Springs and the surrounding LGBTQ community will, for the first time, have an openly LGBTQ voice representing them in Congress,” Co-Chair Takano continued. “That representation matters. Marni will bring the experiences and perspectives of her community to Washington while fighting for the issues that matter most to California families like lowering costs, protecting access to health care, creating economic opportunity, and ensuring every family has the chance to thrive. We could not be prouder to have helped make this moment possible, and we know Marni will be an outstanding champion for her constituents and our community.”
Marni grew up in North San Diego County in a military family. Her father immigrated to the United States and served proudly in the Army, and her grandfather fought in WWII. Marni’s parents instilled in her a commitment to service, which has taken her around the world — from serving in the Peace Corps in Botswana during the AIDS epidemic, to founding a legal clinic to combat discrimination in the Deep South, to later serving in Congress as counsel on the House Education and Labor Committee, where she helped write the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to strengthen workers’ rights.
Back home in San Diego County, Marni served as a civil prosecutor in the City Attorney’s Office, where she cracked down on price gouging during the pandemic, held polluters accountable for toxic dumping and prosecuted the opioid industry for the addiction and devastation they caused. On the San Diego City Council, Marni authored California’s first ban on untraceable ghost guns, launched affordable housing grants for teachers, raised wages, cut ambulance 911 response times, and opposed costly water and trash rate hikes to protect working families.
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Equality PAC’s primary mission is simple: to elect more LGBTQ+ persons to Congress. Individuals who will have a seat at the table, impact the debate, and humanize the LGBTQ community’s concerns. Beyond this goal, Equality PAC also supports strong LGBTQ community allies who will proudly and unapologetically stand with us in the fight to pass the Equality Act and equal protection under our nation’s laws. All of the funds that Equality PAC raises are directed to re-elect and expand our small – but mighty – LGBTQ caucus and to elect a pro-Equality Majority in the House of Representatives.
In the short time Equality PAC has existed, it has played an unmatched role in making history for the LGBTQ community — electing LGBTQ leaders at the federal level such as current House Members Sharice Davis (KS); Ritchie Torres (NY); Becca Balint (VT); Robert Garcia (CA); Eric Sorensen (IL); Angie Craig (MN); Chris Pappas (NH), Julie Johnson (TX); Emily Randall (WA); and Sarah McBride (DE).
With the elections of Julie, Emily, and Sarah two years ago, we not only made history by electing the first openly LGBTQ person ever elected to Congress from Texas or the South; the first ever queer Latina elected to Congress; and the first trans person ever elected to Congress — but we also DOUBLED the number of LGBTQ women in the House from three to six. And for the first time ever – there is near gender parity within the LGBTQ caucus with six women and seven men serving together in the House. This is an incredible accomplishment. On top of this, six of the 13 LGBTQ persons serving right now in the House are persons of color. These are incredible accomplishments for our community and its representation in Congress.
Already this cycle, Equality PAC has made history with Michigan State Senate President Jeremy Moss — who recently won the Democratic Primary in MI-11 and is all-but-certain to win the general election for this “Safe Democrat” open seat. Once elected and sworn in, Jeremy will be the first LGBTQ person ever elected to Congress from Michigan. Equality PAC has also made history with Janelle Sarauw, who will be the first LGBTQ person ever elected to Congress from the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Equality PAC currently has endorsed 4 additional non-incumbent LGBTQ candidates for the 2026 midterms, including three on the DCCC’s Red2Blue list: JoAnna Mendoza (AZ-06); Marni von Wilpert (CA-48); Cait Conley (NY-17); Scott Wiener (CA-11); and J.D. Ford (IN-05).