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Darrell Issa
From Ballotpedia
| Darrell Issa | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, California, District 49 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2001-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2013 | ||
| Years in position | 11 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | November 7, 2000 | |
| Next election | November 6, 2012 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Siena Heights University, 1976 | |
| Associate's | Kent State University, 1976 | |
| Military service | ||
| Service/branch | United States Army | |
| Years of service | 1970-1980 | |
| Personal | ||
| Place of birth | Cleveland, Ohio | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Aside from his service in Congress, Issa is also known for being a major contributor to the 2003 recall election of then-Governor Gray Davis. In October 2007, Issa announced that he was supporting the Presidential Electoral Reform Act, a ballot measure that would change how California selects its representatives to the presidential electoral college.
Issa is running for re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing California's 49th District as a Republican.[1] Jerry Tetalman is running as a Democrat. Dick Eiden is the independent progressive choice. The open primary election will be held on June 5, 2012.
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Issa is a "rank-and-file Republican".[2]
Biography
Issa's mother is of Bohemian German descent and his father is of Lebanese Christian descent. Issa was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in a Jewish neighborhood and worked for a rabbi. Issa enlisted in the United States Army during his senior year of high school, where he served as a bomb disposal technician.
He attended Kent State University Stark in North Canton, Ohio and Siena Heights College in Adrian, Michigan, on an ROTC scholarship, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1976. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a US Army Officer, serving as a tank platoon leader and a computer research and development specialist, among other command roles. He left the Regular Army in 1980 with the rank of captain. He later moved to Vista, California, a suburb of San Diego, where he now lives.
Issa made his fortune through his company, Directed Electronics Incorporated, that is most famous for its flagship product, the "Viper" car alarm. It bears one notable siren that is a recording of Issa's voice, "Warning, you are too close, this vehicle protected by Viper." As of 2004, Directed Electronics was North America's largest aftermarket automotive electronics manufacturer. Issa divested all personal interest in Directed Electronics after being elected to public office, but is one of the richest members of the House.
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Issa's academic, professional and political career:[3]
- 1976: Graduated from Siena Heights College with B.A.
- 1970-1980: United States Army
- 2001-Present: U.S Representative from California
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2011-2012
Issa serves on the following committees:[4]
- Judiciary Committee
- Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy
- Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet
- Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Chair
Issues
Political positions
Percentage voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Darrell Issa voted with the Republican Party 94.9% of the time, which ranked 33 among the 242 House Republican members in 2011.[5]
Gubernatorial recall
Issa came to national prominence when he contributed over $1.6 million to help fund a signature-gathering drive for the petition to recall Gray Davis. At the time he made the contribution, it was widely believed that Issa intended to place himself on the ballot to replace Davis. However, with only two days before the filing deadline, Issa announced that he would not run. Issa later said that his mission had been accomplished since Davis was recalled and he wanted to continue representing his district in Congress and work towards Middle East peace.
For the recall election, Issa endorsed Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, at one point in the campaign he actually suggested that people should vote against recalling Davis, concerned that Schwarzenegger and fellow Republican Tom McClintock would split votes and install Democratic lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante as Davis' successor[6]
Presidential preference
2012
Darrell Issa has endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [7]
Earmarks
A Washington Post investigation in February 2012 revealed that 33 members of Congress helped direct more than $300 million in earmarks to public projects in close proximity to commercial and residential real estate owned by the lawmakers or their family members.[8] According to the report, Issa secured $815,000 in earmarks between 2007 and 2009 to widen a road less than a mile from a medical building in Vista, California, that Issa purchased for $16.6 million in 2008.[9]
Elections
2012
Issa is running for re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing California's 49th District as a Republican. He is running against Jerry Tetalman (D), Dick Eiden (Ind), and Albin Novinec (Ind) in the June 5, 2012, open primary.[10]
2010
On November 2, 2010, Issa won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Howard Katz, Dion Clark, and Mike Paster in the general election.[11]
| U.S. House, California District 49 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Darrell Issa Incumbent |
62.8% | 119,088 | |
| Democratic | Howard Katz | 31.5% | 59,714 | |
| American Independent | Dion Clark | 3.5% | 6,585 | |
| Libertarian | Mike Paster | 2.3% | 4,290 | |
| Total Votes | 189,677 | |||
Campaign donors
2010
Issa won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that election cycle, Issa's campaign committee raised a total of $1,495,193 and spent $1,232,154.[12]
His top 5 contributors between 2009-2010 were:
| U.S. House, California District 49, 2010 - Darrell Issa Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $1,495,193 |
| Total Spent | $1,232,154 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $15,299 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $14,687 |
| Top contributors to Darrell Issa's campaign committee | |
| SAIC Inc | $19,600 |
| Amgen Inc | $10,000 |
| AT&T Inc | $10,000 |
| Consumer Electronics Assn | $10,000 |
| Honeywell International | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Pharmaceuticals/Health Products | $72,500 |
| Computers/Internet | $60,324 |
| Casinos/Gambling | $46,329 |
| Oil & Gas | $46,000 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $44,854 |
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Darrell + Issa + California + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this official due to the nature of the search engine.
Personal
Issa and his wife, Kathy, have one child.
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress.org
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Profile at Facebook
- Profile at Twitter
References
- ↑ "REGION: Saldana is against Bilbray as redistricting completed", nctimes.com, August 16, 2011
- ↑ Gov Track "Issa" Accessed May 15, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Director of the United States Congress "Darrell Issa," Accessed November 16, 2011
- ↑ Darrell Issa, Serving California's 49th District "Committee Assignments"
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/09/23/ISSA.TMP
- ↑ The Hill, "2012 GOP Lawmaker Endorsements for President," retrieved November 23, 2011
- ↑ Washington Post "Congressional earmarks sometimes used to fund projects near lawmakers' properties," February 6, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post "Mapping the earmarks," February 6, 2012
- ↑ California Secretary of State, Official candidate list
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Darrell Issa 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 16, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' | U.S. House of Representatives - California, District 49 2001-Present | Succeeded by ' |
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