Rep. Darrell Issa will not run for reelection, the Southern California Republican said Friday night, joining an already large list of departures from Capitol Hill over the last year.
Issa, 72, has represented parts of the San Diego area for more than two decades. But a redistricting measure backed by California Democrats led to the transformation of his historically conservative district into a much more competitive one.
“This decision has been on my mind for a while and I didn’t make it lightly,” he said in a statement. “First, we built the right campaign infrastructure, support has been overwhelming — including from President Trump — and our polling was unmistakable: We would win this race. But after a quarter-century in Congress — and before that, a quarter-century in business — it’s the right time for a new chapter and new challenges.”
He endorsed Jim Desmond, a San Diego board of supervisors member who filed to run for the seat Friday morning, to succeed him. Desmond represents around a quarter of the newly drawn district.
Issa is a former Army captain who built a fortune as CEO of a company that manufactured anti-theft car alarms. He was first elected to the House in 2000, two years after he unsuccessfully challenged former Democratic senator Barbara Boxer.
He served nine consecutive terms in the House and led investigations into the Obama administration as chair of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He has spearheaded multiple government transparency measures and recently pushed to limit federal judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions. Issa chose not to run for reelection in 2018 but returned to the House in 2021.
Issa’s retirement from Congress reflects the challenges Republicans face in the coming midterm elections, which Democrats are showing signs of leading as they attempt to retake the U.S. House. The president’s party typically suffers in the first midterm races after they are elected, and California’s Democratic-led redistricting muddles the calculation for the state’s Republican lawmakers.
Moderate Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-California) filed on Friday to run for reelection as an independent in his new blue-leaning district, saying in a post on social media that he is “removing partisanship from the equation.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a statement Friday night bidding “good riddance” to Issa and said voters would “flip this seat and elect a real leader who will finally put them first.”
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez thanked Issa for his “decades of dedicated service” in a statement and said “we are optimistic that this district will continue to be represented by a Republican who will stand for common sense.”
Issa’s retirement adds to the wave of departures in both parties as lawmakers leave Capitol Hill in droves. By late February, 68 Senate and House members had said they would not seek reelection — notably higher than other recent election cycles, according to a Washington Post analysis.
Thirty-five House Republicans have said they’ll retire along with Issa, topping the 34 House Republicans who retired in 2018 when Democrats swept 41 seats in the lower chamber.
Some members who are leaving say they’re frustrated with how little is getting done. Congress has recently passed the fewest bills that have become law since the early 1900s. Lawmakers attribute that to deep partisan divisions, intraparty feuds and narrow majorities that make it difficult for leaders to compromise without backlash from influential blocs of their own party.
On Thursday, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana) said he would not run for reelection, withdrawing his candidacy minutes before the state’s filing deadline, just as his chosen successor, U.S. attorney Kurt Alme, filed to run.
And on Monday, Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Montana) said he, too, would retire after four terms in the House, citing struggles with injuries sustained during his career as a U.S. Navy SEAL.
“My judgment and experience tell me it is better for Montana and America to have full-time representation in Congress than run the risk of uncertain absence and missed votes,” Zinke said in a letter to constituents explaining his decision.
Marianna Sotomayor, Eric Lau and Anna Liss-Roy contributed to this report.
The post Darrell Issa won’t seek reelection after more than two decades in House appeared first on Washington Post.
