Washington, DC – Today, Equality PAC announced its endorsement of San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert for California’s 48th Congressional District. Von Wilpert is seeking to flip this must-win seat and defeat Republican incumbent Darrell Issa.
“Marni von Wilpert is a battle-tested leader who has fought to defend civil rights and protect equality throughout her entire career,” said Jeff Larivee, Executive Director of Equality PAC. “Equality PAC is proud to endorse Marni and invest early in this race not only because this seat is critical to our efforts to win back a Pro-Equality House Majority — but Marni also represents one of our best chances to elect a new LGBTQ woman to Congress this year.”
“Marni has also been a leading voice for common sense gun safety, working to reduce gun violence and keep communities safe while standing up to the gun lobby,” Larivee continued. “She understands that equality goes hand in hand with lowering costs for working families, from health care to housing, and she has a proven record of delivering real results. Our early support will help give Marni the resources and momentum needed to flip this seat, defeat Darrell Issa, and ensure our country moves forward, not backward.”
“As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Equality PAC’s endorsement means so much to me,” said Councilmember Von Wilpert. “I’ve spent my career standing up to discrimination, expanding civil rights, and fighting back with communities under attack. At a time when extremists are working to roll back hard-won freedoms, I’m ready to take our fight to Congress and make sure equality, dignity, and safety are never up for debate.”
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 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.
Von Wilpert will compete in the June 2nd jungle primary, where the top two candidates, regardless of party, will advance to the November general election.
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 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.
Today, Equality PAC remains the only identity PAC that financially supports every Frontline Member and Red2Blue candidate because we know that without pro-Equality majorities, the progress our community has made and the civil rights and equal protections we have fought so hard for – and are still fighting for every day – remain in jeopardy.
In the short time that 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 (Kansas); Ritchie Torres (New York); Becca Balint (Vermont); Robert Garcia (California); Eric Sorensen (Illinois); Angie Craig (Minnesota); and Chris Pappas (New Hampshire).
And in the most recent elections, Equality PAC notched three huge historic wins: in TX-32 with Julie Johnson who made history as the first openly LGBTQ person ever elected to Congress from Texas or the South; in WA-06 with Emily Randall who made history as the first ever queer Latina elected to Congress and the first LGBTQ Member from Washington state; and with DE state Senator Sarah McBride in DE-AL as the first trans person ever elected to Congress.
With their elections, we have DOUBLED the number of LGBTQ women in the House from 3 to 6. And for the first time ever – there is parity within the LGBTQ caucus with 6 women and 6 men serving together in the House. This is an incredible accomplishment. On top of this, 5 of the 12 LGBTQ persons serving right now in the House are persons of color. These are incredible accomplishments for our community and its representation in Congress
Equality PAC has grown exponentially since its founding by Congressman Mark Takano and former Congressman (now Governor) Jared Polis in 2014 – when we raised $32,000 from some very loyal and trusting friends who took a chance on us and the experiment we were at the time. Today, we are extraordinarily grateful to have deeply committed and generous supporters in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico – and throughout the grassroots, labor, and business communities.
In total, during the 2023-24 election cycle, we raised and spent an impressive $23.4m for Equality PAC and direct contributions for our endorsed Members and candidates, state Party funds, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and independent expenditure efforts. As we look to the 2026 election and possible opportunities – particularly in potential open House and Senate seat races – we anticipate making even more history and growing the LGBTQ House Caucus deeper into double digits and electing at least two new LGBTQ Senators.