Amid remap push, Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar files to run against Rep. Issa

With his prospects enhanced by potential redistricting, Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar on Friday filed papers for a rematch against Rep. Darrell Issa in the 48th Congressional District.

Campa-Najjar lost to the veteran Republican congressman by 8 percentage points in 2020, but Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed map for the East County district would bring in San Marcos and Escondido, two cities Campa-Najjar carried.

The Legislature on Thursday approved a constitutional amendment that would put a new state congressional map before voters this fall after Texas Republicans created a new Republican-friendly map for their state.

“This campaign is about making sure that all families, from San Diego to Riverside, have a representative who works for them,” said Campa-Najjar in a statement. “That’s why I’ve officially filed to run in CA-48.”

“If the proposed maps are approved, I’ll be on the ballot, ready to represent this community and fight for a fair economy, affordable healthcare, and take on corruption,” he said. “Families here deserve someone who will put them first.”

He will face at least four other Democrats in the June 2026 primary. (Campa-Najjar’s filings will eventually appear here on the FEC site.)

Issa didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on a rematch with Campa-Najjar, but he appeared on Fox News, commenting on the remap. He also said he’s “not afraid of it.”

Campa-Najjar, 36, was born and raised in San Diego County. The son of a single mother, he worked his way through college before joining the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor. He currently serves as a naval reserve officer and will be teaching at Georgetown University in the fall.

Even with possible voter-approved maps, Issa still has a chance of winning in the new district, says Carl Luna, University of San Diego political science professor.

Issa “has a formidable war chest, a strong base of support and, if the Democrats end up with a real melee of a primary, the party could lack the get-out-the-vote they need to turn the more favorable demographics into electoral victory,” Luna told Times of San Diego recently.

He said Campa-Najjar is the only potential candidate in the field with real name recognition, “but he is also a multi-election loser, and comebacks are rare.”

Under the proposed maps, 41st Congressional District GOP incumbent Ken Calvert may be forced to run against Issa.

Which Republican has the advantage?

“Probably Issa in terms of money,” Luna said, “but Calvert has the MAGA advantage and that worked for [Assemblyman Carl] DeMaio last year.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic field is thinning. On Thursday, water board member Suzanne Till said she was dropping out of the East County Congress race — and entering the contest to succeed state Sen. Brian Jones in the 40th District.

With or without various state remaps, is GOP looking at major House losses in midterms?

“Given that the economy is showing signs of stagflation (soft labor market and tariff and tax cut-driven inflation for the first time since the 1970s), GOP should likely take a major hit in 2026,” Luna said via email.

But that assumes elections are fair and free, he said.

“Texas and Red State redistricting shows the GOP (and Trump) understanding the risks next year are going to leave no norm-upending stone unturned to gain electoral advantage,” Luna wrote.

“From midcycle redistricting to President Trump talking about restrictions on voter registration and abolition of mail-in ballots (which now actually hurts the GOP) to ICE agents showing up at Democratic political events (like Newsom’s speech last week) you can expect the boundaries of acceptable electoral behavior to be increasingly challenged over the next 14 months.”

Luna has no prediction on how a November remap vote would turn out.

“Let me rent seven monkeys and have them throw darts at the map and I’ll get back to you,” he said.