Marni von Wilpert, a Democratic candidate for California's 48th Congressional District, canvasses in a neighborhood Friday, May 29, 2026, in San Marcos, Calif.
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California’s congressional primaries were a preliminary test of Democrats’ best chance at countering Republican redistricting gains elsewhere this year. The party won voter approval last year to redraw the state’s congressional map to create five more winnable U.S. House seats. Democrats have long worried about the possibility of a shutout in one of the redrawn districts. They had feared that scenario in a San Diego-area district that was redrawn to become a swing seat, but they avoided it there. However, Democrats remained at risk of a shutout in a Sacramento-area seat they expected to easily win in November.
