UPDATE: Nov. 28 ― Rep. Darrell Issa is headed back to the House.
Issa, an eight-term Republican, narrowly won re-election, The Associated Press reported on Monday, after vote-tallying in his neck-and-neck Southern California race dragged on for three weeks.
Issa survived his toughest challenge yet from a retired Marine colonel tapped by Democrats and a barrage of advertising that tried to link him to Donald Trump.
As of Monday afternoon, Issa held a lead of 2,348 votes, according to the San Diego Union Tribune, which said the gap exceeded the number of votes still uncounted.
“Serving the people of southern California has been one of the greatest honors of my life and I am humbled at the chance to continue fighting for them in Congress,” Issa said in a statement.
Issa, the wealthiest member of Congress and one of the most dogged antagonists of President Barack Obama’s administration, found himself in unfamiliar territory when Doug Applegate came close to catching him in California’s jungle primary, where the top two vote-getters proceed to the general election.
That caught the attention of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which began pouring money into the race and making hefty ad buys aimed at convincing voters that Issa and Trump are one in the same.
As the campaign gained speed, the race for California’s 49th District ― which includes parts of southern Orange County and northern San Deigo County ― went from favoring Issa to a toss up.
“I think that Congress needs more people that actually served a combat tour before they say, ‘Well, we just need to send in the military, because this will be quick and easy,’” Applegate argued on the campaign trail.
The final month of the race turned ugly. Applegate’s campaign ran an ad saying Issa had joined Trump’s national security advisory board on the same day a 2005 tape surfaced capturing the Republican nominee bragging about grabbing women “by the pussy.”
Issa, former chair of House Oversight Committee, also was battered by Democrats for his obstruction of Obama’s agenda.
His response got personal. His campaign sent mailers citing court documents that showed Applegate’s wife had requested a restraining order after their divorce. The documents revealed Applegate had been accused of “stalking” his ex-wife in 2002, and was charged in 2000 with driving under the influence.
“They’re still selling a deeply flawed candidate with a terrible record of abusing and stalking women,” Issa’s spokesman, Calvin Moore, told The Huffington Post in October. “There’s still a lot that the voters don’t know about Doug Applegate.”
Issa refused to revoke his endorsement of Trump, but revealed anxiety about being linked to the nominee when he sent out mailers praising Obama for signing a bill that Issa had co-sponsored.
The mailer drew national attention ― and criticism from Obama, who said Issa showed “chutzpah” for using an image of him on the mailer.
“Here’s a guy who called my administration perhaps the most corrupt in history ― despite the fact that actually we have not had a major scandal in my administration,” Obama said at a fundraiser in California late last month. “And now he’s sending out brochures touting his cooperation with me. Now, that is shameless.”
Issa shot back, blaming Obama for the death of Americans abroad and at home. “I’ve worked with the administration on good legislation where it was possible, and called out wrongdoing wherever I saw it, and will continue to do so,” Issa said at the time.
In the campaign’s final days, Issa used Obama’s words against him, kicking off an “It takes chutzpah” bus tour of 25 campaign stops across San Diego and Orange counties.
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article misidentified Issa’s district, the 49th Congressional District.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.