Democrat suggests LGBTQ+ candidates can't win outside of Palm Springs - LGBTQ Nation

"California Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar's campaign is facing criticism for a memo suggesting that an LGBTQ+ candidate can't win in a newly drawn Congressional district. As The Advocate reports, Campa-Najjar's campaign recently circulated a seven-page document that included a section on Palm Springs. The community, long considered both an LGBTQ+ mecca and a reliable Democratic stronghold, was recently added to California's 48th Congressional District as part of the state's redistricting efforts to offset those benefiting Republicans in Texas and other states."

"Campa-Najjar is running against 11 other Democrats - including out bisexual San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert - and one independent candidate to unseat incumbent Republican Darrell Issa, who has represented California's 48th since 2023. The state's redrawn Congressional map - which was approved by voters by nearly 20 points in a special election last November and upheld by a district court the same month - changes the district from a 12-point Republican advantage to a 4-point Democratic advantage, according to Cal Matters."

""Neither Will Rollins, Christy Holstege, nor Lisa Middleton won their elections to higher office due to their inability to reach voters beyond Palm Springs," the document reads, according to The Advocate. "Marni von Wilpert, as her record will show, is a candidate in the same vein, who will fail to win over Latinos and veterans, who are the true swing voters in this district.""

Ammar Campa-Najjar's campaign labeled Palm Springs a critical constituency of reliable Democratic voters and noted its addition to California's 48th District after redistricting. The redrawn map shifted the district from a 12-point Republican advantage to a 4-point Democratic advantage. Campa-Najjar is competing with 11 Democrats, including out bisexual San Diego councilmember Marni von Wilpert, and one independent to unseat Republican Darrell Issa. The campaign compared von Wilpert to previous LGBTQ+ candidates who failed to win beyond Palm Springs and stated von Wilpert would not win over Latinos and veterans, identified as the district's swing voters.

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