Congressman Issa has survived to fight another day. The California Republican has served almost 16 years in the House with no real challenges until this election cycle. He defeated his Democratic challenger in an unexpected nail-biter.
Democrat Doug Applegate gave Issa the fight of his life on Election Day – forcing him to dip into his campaign financial reserves to come out on top. The final returns with all precincts reporting show Issa obtaining 53 percent of the vote in California’s 49th district to Applegate’s 47 percent. A modest win - but considering Issa has consistently fended off challenges before by double-digits – a shocker.
When Applegate attempted to portray Issa as hostile to women because of his support for Trump, Issa was able to counter and pointed to past charges by Applegate’s ex-wife of stalking and harassment. Real examples of hostility towards women.
Many Democrats targeted Issa’s seat when they sensed he was in danger of losing. Abortion rights activist Sandra Fluke fundraised to defeat him, along with a host of others. Obama even got involved in the House race, criticizing Issa heavily.
On Wednesday morning, it was Darrell Issa who got the last laugh.
“I feel like the voters have seen through the lies in this race, I think they recognize the 16 years of service,” Issa said election night. “I have been gratified that so many people that I’ve worked with have not only endorsed me but went out of their way to make public statements for me.”