Issa retires, shaking up political map while endorsing Desmond in his shift to 48th District

County Supervisor Jim Desmond entered the race for the 48th Congressional District Friday, while Rep. Darrell Issa announced his retirement, exiting one of the country’s most-watched races.

Speculation swirled Friday over Issa’s status – in or out – as the incumbent in the race for the seat, which was redrawn due to Proposition 50. Then Issa offered his endorsement for Desmond to Fox News in the early evening.

“I’m announcing my enthusiastic endorsement of Supervisor Jim Desmond for Congress — to represent California’s new 48th district,” Issa told Fox News, while praising his “20-year record of public service.

“He understands this community, was born and raised here, and will make a terrific congressman,” Issa said.

The San Diego County Registrar released its latest candidate list Friday evening, showing that Desmond — who had been running for the neighboring 49th District seat — submitted his papers to run in the 48th District earlier in the day.

Desmond pulled his papers Thursday, a day before the deadline to file in time for the June primary, while he also withdrew from the 49th District race. He announced a challenge to Rep. Mike Levin for the seat one year ago.

Issa, meanwhile, was listed as one of three candidates who had not filed their papers in the 48th District by 5 p.m. Friday. A spokeswoman for the registrar said the office continues to assist candidates and is expecting to have another update “either tonight or tomorrow.”

Desmond’s entry into the 48th race further shakes up an already-shifting political map after voters overwhelmingly approved Prop. 50 in November. That made the 49th District safer for Democrats and turned the 48th District into one of the most hotly-contested races in the county.

Desmond’s campaign did not respond to phone calls or emails Thursday about the shift to the 48th District. Issa’s campaign has not responded to requests since last week about whether he is seeking reelection.

Christian Martinez, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said the group is “optimistic that this district will continue to be represented by a Republican” despite Issa’s retirement.

“We are grateful for Congressman Darrell Issa’s decades of dedicated service to the people of California and our nation,” he said. “Throughout his career, he has embodied the spirit of public service, championed our military, and fought tirelessly for a stronger America.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, on the other hand, released a statement saying “good riddance” to Issa.

“Southern Californians are ready to flip this seat and elect a real leader who will finally put them first,” Anna Elsasser, a DCCC spokeswoman said.

Issa, 72, is the one of the wealthiest members of Congress, but not nearly one of the oldest. He has, however, been canny about what which races are winnable. He formerly held a seat that included parts of North County and Orange County, then shifted to the 50th District. In an earlier round of redistricting, he moved again, this time to the 48th before it was reshaped by Prop. 50.

“Darrell Issa has shown that he takes a logical look at his fortunes and is unwilling to run when he doesn’t think he has a shot at winning,” said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at UC San Diego. 

Last year, Issa considered running for a safer seat in Texas. Political observers began pondering Issa’s intentions last week because the “donate” button at the top of his website points supporters to a fundraising page for his leadership political action committee, not a campaign account.

A logo atop the site also has been changed to “2026 Issa PAC,” rather than “Darrell Issa for Congress,” the logo that had been there through Feb. 9, according to a screen grab from the Wayback Machine, the web archiving system.  

Issa’s PAC, named Invest in a Strong and Secure America, is classified as a leadership PAC, from which politicians can dole out funds to support other campaigns.

The committee had $45,606 in cash on hand to begin 2025, according to federal campaign finance filings, and $66,040 at year’s end.

His 2025 campaign funds, which flowed into the “Darrell Issa for Congress” committee, dwarfed those sums. The committee had contributions of $852,128, with $512,928 coming from individuals.

The 48th District race is jammed with candidates, mostly Democrats vying for the seat thanks to Prop. 50.

The measure, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s answer to Texas’ redistricting efforts, altered maps in an attempt to give Democrats a better chance to gain seats in Congress and counter President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The top Democrats in the 48th District race, Marni von Wilpert and Ammar Campa Najjar, both completed their candidate papers Thursday, according to the registrar’s website. Two others, Corinna Contreras and Mike Schaefer, also have submitted their papers. The county has to review their documents to confirm that they qualified for the ballot.

Von Wilpert issued a statement early Friday on what was then thought to Issa’s “apparent retirement,” saying “If Republicans think they can trick voters by playing musical chairs with candidates, they have another thing coming.”

The 48th District includes parts of suburban San Diego County, San Marcos, Vista and Escondido, while in Riverside it extends into Temecula, Hemet and Palm Springs. Because it bridges two counties, candidates file where they reside. Issa dropping out leads to a five-day extension for other candidates to enter the race.

The 49th District also includes two counties – San Diego and Orange.

With Desmond’s departure, the Orange County Registrar of Voters currently lists two candidates in the 49th race – Levin and Star Parker, a consultant and syndicated columnist, while San Diego’s registrar lists two others, Julian Arellano and Armen Kurdian.

Kurdian had been set to challenge state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, but withdrew from the race before shifting to the 49th. He submitted his candidacy papers Thursday.

Updated 6:50 p.m. March 6, 2026