Republican Darrell Issa's retirement boosts Democrats chances of retaking House in 2018 midterms

A lucky break for Democrats' California dreams

Darrell Issa's exit could help Democrats win a majority in the House of Representatives (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File photo)

A long-serving California Republican has announced he will not run for re-election to Congress, bolstering Democrats’ hopes of taking the House of Representatives in mid-term elections later this year.

Representative Darrell Issa confirmed he would not seek to hold onto his southern California seat, saying in a statement that his nearly two decades of service had been “the privilege of a lifetime”.

The decision alters the Democratic Party’s election outlook for November. Of the 91 seats on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s target list, 10 — including Mr Issa’s — were in California.

By removing himself from contention, Mr Issa relieves the Democratic Party of needing to invest in unseating a Republican with broad name recognition and deep pockets in California's 49th district. Mr Issa has regularly ranked among the richest members of Congress.

The Cook Political Report swiftly moved his district from a tossup to a race that favours a Democrat.

“Republicans' best hope for holding the seat in the current lopsided political environment probably involves Democrats splitting the vote in the June top-two primary and allowing two Republicans to advance, but that would require a very elaborate set of circumstances,” the report said. Unlike other states, California lets the top two vote-getters in the primary to advance to the general election regardless of the party they are affiliated with.

While Democrats enjoy unbroken control over California’s state government, holding every statewide elected office and majorities in the Legislature, the sprawling state’s delegation to Congress includes numerous Republicans — including members of the leadership like House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, of Bakersfield.

Donald Trump’s election has put some of those Republicans in a difficult spot as they seek to reconcile their conservative beliefs with Mr Trump’s profound unpopularity in California. Across the country, 2018 midterm elections that could swing control of Congress will play out in part as a referendum on Mr Trump.

The strategy that could be especially effective in California. Protests tied to Mr Trump outside of Republicans' district offices, including Mr Issa's, have become commonplace.

Mr Issa is not the first California Republican to bow out. Last week another conservative on Democrats’ target list, Orange County Republican Ed Royce, said he would not seek re-election. His exit prompted the Cook Political Report to move his seat from one likely to stay in the Republican column to one that’s likely to go to a Democrat.