Republican representative Darrell Issa of California says he will not run for re-election | California
Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, whose Southern California district was reconfigured following the passage of Proposition 50, has decided not to run for reelection.
“After a quarter century in Congress – and before that, a quarter century in business – now is the right time to open a new chapter and new challenges,” he said in a statement Friday, the last day he could have run for office.
Issa, who nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last March, was first elected to Congress in 2001. He initially announced his retirement from the legislative House in 2018 after narrowly winning his previous re-election. He returned to Congress in 2021.
Issa represents parts of Southern California, including San Diego County. The passage of Proposition 50, a ballot measure intended to thwart gerrymandering in Texas, meant that his district, once a Republican stronghold, was redrawn in a way that gave it a blue tint.
District 48, which Issa represents, went from a 12-point Republican advantage to a four-point lead for Democrats, according to a CalMatters analysis of voter registration.
Issa was an outspoken opponent of Proposition 50, and after its passage last fall, he briefly considered moving to Dallas to run for Congress.
On Friday, San Diego County Supervisor and fellow Republican Jim Desmond withdrew his candidacy for District 49 to run for Issa’s seat, according to KPBS, San Diego’s NPR affiliate. In the same statement to the New York Times, Issa supported Desmond.
