Darrell Issa announces retirement from the House

Republican Rep. Darrell Issa announced Friday that he will retire at the end of his term, a decision that could help Democrats win his district in the midterms.

“Skip to Main Content Darrell Issa announces retirement from the House His California district had been redrawn to favor Democrats as part of the state’s gerrymandering last year”

POLITICO

He made the announcement soon after the deadline passed to register as a candidate in a district that was redrawn last year and transformed from one that heavily favored Republicans to one that now gives Democrats the edge.

Issa said, "This decision has been on my mind for a while and I didn’t make it lightly."

He added, "Support has been overwhelming — including from President Trump — and our polling was unmistakable: We would win this race."

Issa said that after a quarter-century in Congress and a quarter-century in business, "it’s the right time for a new chapter and new challenges."

He gave San Diego Supervisor Jim Desmond his "enthusiastic endorsement."

Desmond filed for Issa’s seat Friday morning after previously planning to run in a neighboring district.

Issa has been a polarizing fixture of Southern California politics for more than two decades and is an ally of President Donald Trump.

He is a former Army officer and CEO of a manufacturer of anti-theft devices.

“Skip to Main Content Darrell Issa announces retirement from the House His California district had been redrawn to favor Democrats as part of the state’s gerrymandering last year”

POLITICO

He has been active in politics since the 1990s.

He ran for Senate in 1998 and lost to Barbara Boxer.

He won a San Diego-area House seat in 2000.

He rose to national prominence when he zealously investigated the Obama administration as chair of the House Oversight Committee.

His once-reliably GOP district morphed into a purple seat.

After a narrow 2016 win he retired in 2018 rather than face the blue wave.

That retirement was short-lived when he ran and won in a more conservative district in 2020.

The seat became competitive after Proposition 50, Gov. Gavin Newsom's ballot measure to redraw the state's congressional lines, passed last November.

“Skip to Main Content Darrell Issa announces retirement from the House His California district had been redrawn to favor Democrats as part of the state’s gerrymandering last year”

POLITICO

Under the new lines the seat backed Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by three points in 2024.

Several Democrats are vying for the district, including Ammar Campa-Najjar and Marni von Wilpert.

Democrats celebrated Issa's retirement, with DCCC spokesperson Anna Elsasser saying Issa's exit shows Republicans know he can't win on his record.

The National Republican Campaign Committee lauded his 'decades of dedicated service' and expressed confidence Republicans can hold the seat.

Desmond said he 'couldn't be more excited' to run and highlighted his local record.

Blake Jones contributed to the report.