Darrell Issa announces he will not seek re-election to Congress

North Coast Current

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) will not seek re-election this year, the congressman announced Jan. 10.

“Throughout my service, I worked hard and never lost sight of the people our government is supposed to serve. Yet with the support of my family, I have decided that I will not seek re-election in California’s 49th District,” Issa said in a statement emailed to news outlets and posted to his website just after 8 a.m.

Darrell Issa

Issa, 64, has served in Congress representing portions of San Diego County, including coastal North County, and Orange and Riverside counties since 2001, first in the 48th District and then in the 49th District. He served as chairman of the House Oversight Committee from 2011 to 2015. The Republican faced a close challenge from Democrat Doug Applegate in 2016 and was facing four Democratic challengers in 2018 — Applegate, Sara Jacobs, Paul Kerr and Mike Levin.

“The Republican agenda in Washington has been a direct attack on Californians,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the House of Representatives, stated in an announcement to news outlets. “After passing a devastating tax scam and fighting to rip away healthcare from millions of families, California Republicans clearly see the writing on the wall and realize that their party and its priorities are toxic to their re-election chances in 2018.”

In his statement, Issa thanked his constituents and touted his accomplishments.

“From the first successful recall of a sitting Governor in California history, to establishing new and stronger standards for government accountability, to protecting the Internet from harmful regulation, and enacting the nation’s first open data standards, we attempted and achieved much in the service of our nation,” Issa wrote. “Together, we put an end to abusive Congressional earmarks, strengthened the Violence Against Women Act, empowered better oversight of the executive branch, and cleared the course for better intellectual property protections to stop the piracy of American ingenuity.

“I am forever grateful to the people of San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties for their support and affording me the honor of serving them all these years,” Issa wrote.