This is a developing story.
County Supervisor Jim Desmond entered the race for the redrawn 48th Congressional District Friday, ramping up speculation that Rep. Darrell Issa won’t pursue reelection in one of the country’s most-watched races.
The San Diego County Registrar released its latest candidates list Friday, showing that Desmond — who had been running for the neighboring 49th District seat — pulled papers to run in the 48th District Thursday, a day before the deadline to file in time for the June primary. Desmond also withdrew from the 49th District race – he announced more than a year ago he would challenge Rep. Mike Levin for the seat. The Orange County Registrar of Voters currently lists two candidates in the race – Levin and Star Parker, a consultant and syndicated columnist.
Desmond’s entry into the 48th District further shakes up an already-shifting political map after voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 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.Now, all eyes are on Issa. He could abandon the race, or suddenly face a Republican challenger in a field already crowded by Democrats. If Issa does not file for reelection, it would lead to a five-day extension for other candidates to enter the race.“Desmond would not make this move if Issa was running,” wrote Jon Fleischman, a long-time Republican consultant in California, in a post on X. “That’s a fact.”“Holy moly! (Issa) retirement watch update. (Prop. 50) is causing another shakeup,” wrote Paul Mitchell, a longtime Democratic political consultant, in his own post.Desmond’s campaign did not respond to phone calls or emails Thursday about whether he was shifting his campaign to the 48th District. Issa’s campaign has not responded to requests since last week about whether he is seeking reelection.
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 Friday on Issa’s “apparent retirement.”“If Republicans think they can trick voters by playing musical chairs with candidates, they have another thing coming,” she wrote.
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. The 49th District bridges San Diego and Orange counties.
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