Republican representative Darrell Issa, whose southern California district was reconfigured following the passage of Proposition 50, has decided not to run for re-election.
“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 said in a statement on Friday, the last day he would have been able to file as a candidate.
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 chamber in 2018 after just narrowly winning his previous re-election bid. He returned to Congress in 2021.
Issa represents parts of southern California, including San Diego county. The passage of Proposition 50, a ballot measure meant to counteract gerrymandering in Texas, means that his district, formerly a Republican stronghold, was redrawn in a way that gave it a blue tint.
District 48, which Issa represents, switched 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 Prop 50, and after its passage last fall, he briefly contemplated 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 instead run for Issa’s seat, according to KPBSSan Diego’s NPR affiliate. In the same statement to the New York Times, Issa endorsed Desmond.
