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Darrell Issa

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Darrell Issa
Image of Darrell Issa

Candidate, U.S. House California District 50

Prior offices
U.S. House California District 49

Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $464,115,018

Elections and appointments
Next election

November 3, 2020

Education

Associate

Kent State University, 1976

Bachelor's

Siena Heights University, 1976

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1970 - 1980

Contact

Darrell Issa (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 50th Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2020. He advanced from the primary election on March 3, 2020.

Issa (Republican Party) was a member of the U.S. House, representing California's 49th Congressional District. He assumed office in 2001. He left office on January 3, 2019.


Due to nationwide changes in election administration in 2020, Ballotpedia is exercising increased caution before projecting elections winners. Click here to read our new election calling policy and vote total update schedule.


Issa is a former Republican member of the U.S. House representing California's 49th Congressional District from 2001 to 2019. On January 10, 2018, he announced that he would not seek re-election to the 49th Congressional District in 2018. "While my service to California's 49th District will be coming to an end," he said, "I will continue advocating on behalf of the causes that are most important to me, advancing public policy where I believe I can make a true and lasting difference, and continuing the fight to make our incredible nation an even better place to call home."[1] In the 115th Congress, Issa served as the Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

On September 19, 2018, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Issa to head the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.[2]

In 2003, Issa was a contributor to the 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 have changed how California selects its representatives to the presidential electoral college.

Issa was also known for being one of the richest members of Congress. He earned nearly $60 million in 2012 and was worth more than $355 million at the end of the year.[3]

Biography

Issa was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned a GED after he dropped out of high school to join the United States Army.[4] Issa went on to attend college on an ROTC scholarship, graduating with a degree in business administration from Siena Heights University. He was then commissioned as an Army officer. Issa eventually reached the rank of captain and finished his active-duty service in 1980.[5]

From 1980 until his election to Congress in 2000, Issa worked at various businesses in the private sector. In the 1990s he was the founder and CEO of Directed Electronics, an automotive electronics manufacturer. He resigned from this position once elected.[5]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Issa's academic, professional, and political career:[6]

Elections

2020

See also: California's 50th Congressional District election, 2020

Due to nationwide changes in election administration in 2020, Ballotpedia is exercising increased caution before projecting election winners. Click here to read our new election calling policy and vote total update schedule
General election
General election for U.S. House California District 50

Ammar Campa-Najjar and Darrell Issa are running in the general election for U.S. House California District 50 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Ammar_Campa-Najjar.jpg

Ammar Campa-Najjar (D)

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Darrell_Issa.jpg

Darrell Issa (R)

Running in this race? Join your other candidates for a conversation.

Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House California District 50

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House California District 50 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Ammar_Campa-Najjar.jpg

Ammar Campa-Najjar (D)
 
36.5
 
74,121

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Darrell_Issa.jpg

Darrell Issa (R)
 
23.1
 
47,036

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Carl_DeMaio.png

Carl DeMaio (R)
 
19.9
 
40,347

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Brian_Jones-1.jpg

Brian Jones (R)
 
10.6
 
21,495

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/80182230_marisa_calderon.jpg

Marisa Calderon (D) (Unofficially withdrew)
 
5.7
 
11,557

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Nathan Wilkins (R)
 
2.1
 
4,276

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JoseCortes.jpeg

Jose Cortes (Peace and Freedom Party of California)
 
0.9
 
1,821

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/HelenHorvath.jpg

Helen Horvath (Independent)
 
0.6
 
1,249

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Henry Ota (Independent)
 
0.4
 
908

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/LucindaJahn.jpg

Lucinda Jahn (Independent)
 
0.2
 
410

Total votes: 203,220

Candidate profile

Image of Darrell Issa

Website Facebook Twitter

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

U.S House of Representatives (2001-2019)

Biography: 

Before his first election to Congress, Issa served in the U.S. Army and attained the rank of captain. He founded Directed Electronics Inc., and he helped organize several political efforts, including the campaign to recall former California Gov. Gray Davis. Issa received a bachelor's degree from Siena Heights University.

Key messages

  • Issa stated, "My position on the border is simple: We must build the wall. We can’t keep our country safe if we don’t secure the border."

  • Issa highlighted his previous congressional experience, stating, "I’ve proven my ability to stand up to extremists. My work resulted in Eric Holder being held in contempt of Congress, Hillary Clinton being held accountable for the deaths of American diplomats and servicemen in Benghazi, and Barack Obama being held accountable for presiding over the Lois Lerner scandal."

  • Issa said DeMaio did not support President Donald Trump. An Issa campaign ad said DeMaio supported amnesty, open borders, and sanctuary cities. Another ad said DeMaio "opposes Trump's pro-life agenda."



2018

See also: California's 49th Congressional District election, 2018

On January 10, 2018, Issa announced that he would not seek re-election in 2018. "While my service to California's 49th District will be coming to an end," he said, "I will continue advocating on behalf of the causes that are most important to me, advancing public policy where I believe I can make a true and lasting difference, and continuing the fight to make our incredible nation an even better place to call home."[1]

2016

See also: California's 49th Congressional District election, 2016

California's 49th Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Incumbent Darrell Issa (R) defeated Douglas Applegate (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Issa and Applegate defeated Ryan Glenn Wingo (Independent) in the top-two primary on June 7, 2016.[7][8]

U.S. House, California District 49 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDarrell Issa Incumbent 50.3% 155,888
     Democratic Douglas Applegate 49.7% 154,267
Total Votes 310,155
Source: California Secretary of State

U.S. House, California District 49 Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDarrell Issa Incumbent 50.8% 84,626
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDouglas Applegate 45.5% 75,808
     Independent Ryan Wingo 3.7% 6,087
Total Votes 166,521
Source: California Secretary of State

2014

See also: California's 49th Congressional District elections, 2014

Issa won re-election to the U.S. House in 2014. He and Dave Peiser (D) advanced past the blanket primary on June 3, 2014, defeating Noboru Isagawa (D). Issa went on to defeat Peiser in the general election on November 4, 2014.[9][10]

U.S. House, California District 49 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDarrell Issa Incumbent 60.2% 98,161
     Democratic Dave Peiser 39.8% 64,981
Total Votes 163,142
Source: California Secretary of State
U.S. House, California District 49 Primary, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDarrell Issa Incumbent 61.9% 56,558
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDave Peiser 28.4% 25,946
     Democratic Noboru Isagawa 9.7% 8,887
Total Votes 91,391
Source: California Secretary of State

2012

See also: California's 49th Congressional District elections, 2012

Issa won re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing California's 49th District.[11] He and Jerry Tetalman (D) advanced past the blanket primary on June 5, 2012, defeating Dick Eiden (Ind) and Albin Novinec (Ind). Issa went on to defeat Tetalman in the general election on November 6, 2012.[12][13]

U.S. House, California District 49 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDarrell Issa Incumbent 58.2% 159,725
     Democratic Jerry Tetalman 41.8% 114,893
Total Votes 274,618
Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"
U.S. House, California District 49 Open Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDarrell Issa (R) Incumbent 61.1% 71,329
Green check mark transparent.pngJerry Tetalman (D) 30.7% 35,816
Dick Eiden (NPP) 6.8% 7,988
Albin Novinec (NPP) 1.4% 1,626
Total Votes 116,759

Full history


Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Darrell Issa has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

  • 872 candidates completed the survey in 2019. This number represented 10.4% of all 8,386 candidates Ballotpedia covered in 2019. Out of the 872 respondents, 237 won their election. Candidates from 33 states completed the survey. Noteworthy respondents included Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann. Read the 2019 report for more information about that year's respondents.
  • 1,957 candidates completed the survey in 2018. This number represented 6.9% of all 28,315 candidates Ballotpedia covered in 2018. Out of the 1,957 respondents, 477 won their election. Candidates from 48 states completed the survey. Noteworthy respondents included U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Read the 2018 report for more information about that year's respondents.

Campaign website

BORDER AND IMMIGRATION

My position on the border is simple: We must build the wall.

We can’t keep our country safe if we don’t secure the border. For more than a decade, the Border Patrol has asked for the tools to do their job. The Border Wall is a powerful enforcement tool and a force multiplier. I visit with our Border Patrol agents frequently and they’ve shown me that a handful of agents can effectively patrol a mile of fenced border, while hundreds of agents are needed to patrol that same mile of open border.

The wall also makes it possible to apprehend criminals crossing the border, particularly drug smugglers and human traffickers.

When San Diego’s US Attorney refused to prosecute human smugglers, I fought to provide more resources for prosecution and ultimately, because of my work, the President fired and replaced the US Attorney with one who would enforce the law.

In addition to border enforcement, I believe we must focus equally on interior enforcement, removing those who have overstayed visas and entered the country on false pretenses. The rule of law must be restored before Congress can work to reform our legal immigration laws.

SANCTUARY CITIES

I applaud the Trump administration and cities and counties throughout California, including San Diego County and the City of Escondido, for standing up to Sacramento and taking legal action to fight California’s Sanctuary State law in order to keep our communities safe. I will continue working with President Trump to fight this lawlessness and hold our elected leaders accountable for enforcing the law.

IMPEACHMENT

Democrats are doing everything they can to subvert the will of voters in the 2016 election. One prominent Democrat even said, “if we don’t’ impeach the president, he’ll get re-elected.”

Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi have made it clear that they’ll use any excuse to remove the duly elected President of the United States from office. Impeachment should not be used as a tool for politicians to reverse the will of the American people.

We need conservatives in Washington who know how to fight fire with fire. I’ve proven my ability to stand up to extremists. My work resulted in Eric Holder being held in contempt of Congress, Hillary Clinton being held accountable for the deaths of American diplomats and servicemen in Benghazi, and Barack Obama being held accountable for presiding over the Lois Lerner scandal. I led the recall of Governor Gray Davis for many of the same failures of leadership that we’re now seeing from Gavin Newsom.

JOBS AND TRADE

I believe free trade is fair trade, but for too long, we’ve allowed our trading partners to take advantage of American workers. Our workers and businesses deserve a level playing field and the fair opportunity to compete. I supported the reduction in the corporate tax rate to make the United States competitive in the global market, to keep and create jobs in America and to encourage businesses to grow here at home.

I will join our President in standing up to China and any other nation which seeks to dump undervalued goods on our markets, manipulate their currency to cheat American workers or steal the intellectual property of American innovators.

LIFE

Every life has value and we must protect those who aren’t able to protect themselves.

As a Member of Congress, I earned a 100 percent voting record from the National Right to Life Committee – and a zero percent rating from Planned Parenthood. I voted to defund Planned Parenthood and supported numerous pro-life measures like the partial-birth abortion ban and the Pain Capable Unborn Child Act.

You don’t have to wonder whether I’ll stand for life in Congress, because I have a solid Pro-Life voting record throughout my entire career in Congress. I have never supported government funding for abortions and I never will.

SECOND AMENDMENT

“The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

The government can’t protect us by taking away our rights. The framers of the Constitution gave us the right to free speech to as the first line of defense against a tyrannical government, and gave us the right to keep and bear arms as the last line of defense.

Sadly, both the First and Second Amendments are under attack today. I will fight to prevent all infringements of our Constitutional rights.

I support safe and responsible gun ownership. I’ve never received lower than an ‘A’ rating from the NRA and I have been a proud recipient of their endorsement. I was honored to speak at the NRA’s national convention detailing my work to hold Eric Holder accountable for his Fast and Furious “gun walking” scandal, which factored in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Gun Owners of America called me a ‘Second Amendment Hero.’[20]

—Darrell Issa's 2020 campaign website[21]


2016

The following issues were listed on Issa's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

  • Jobs and Economy: As small businessman and entrepreneur, I’ve worked tirelessly in Congress to create opportunity for hard-working Americans and put our economy back on track. Here in California we’ve seen first-hand how higher taxes and ever-increasing regulations have sent jobs everywhere but here. We need fresh solutions and unique approaches to bring jobs back to the Golden State.
  • Veterans: As a former Army captain, my highest priority is ensuring our nation keeps its promise to the men and women who our country every day. Unfortunately, bureaucracy, mismanagement, and insufficient accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs have meant that, too often, our veterans don’t get the care they deserve.
  • National Security: America must win the war against ISIS. The attacks in terrorist attacks in Orlando, San Bernadino and with our allies all around the world are desperate reminders that America is still at war against terrorist ideologies with the capacity to inspire and carry out large-scale attacks against us.
  • Technology: We cannot be scared of the future. Defending policies that maintain America's status as the world's leader in technological innovation has been one of the hallmarks of my tenure in Congress. Before coming to Capitol Hill, I was in the electronics industry and saw first-hand the importance of supporting America’s innovators. In Congress, I have fought hard for policies that encourage growth in the digital economy and strive to educate my colleagues on the importance of supporting our new economy.
  • Energy and Environment: Energy independence is crucial to the future of our national and economic security. The United States needs to pursue an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy to reduce our reliance on imported energy and lower the cost of gas and electricity for consumers.

[20]

Darrell Issa's campaign website

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2017-2018

At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Issa was assigned to the following committees:[22]

2015-2016

Issa served on the following committees:[23]

2013-2014

Issa served on the following committees in the 113th Congress:[24][25]

2011-2012

Issa served on the following committees:[26]

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018

For detailed information about each vote, click here.

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Issues

IRS targeting

On May 10, 2013, news broke that various branches of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had specifically targeted conservative groups' applications for tax-exempt status. This began during the tea party surge in 2010. The agency was separating tax-exempt applications by searching for political terms such as "tea party" and "patriot." In June 2011, an IRS official was briefed on these transgressions and asked that this practice end. The flagging continued, however, when the criteria was changed in January 2012 to look out for groups educating on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.[134]

The targeting includes allegations that tea party groups were forced to provide information not asked of other tax exempt groups. Examples of this included requests for donor information, Facebook posts, resumes and political intentions of group officials and connections to other groups.[135][136]

During the May 22 House committee hearing on the issue, Issa claimed that J. Russell George, the IRS inspector general, had not fulfilled his obligation to inform the House of any serious problems, "You have a responsibility to keep us continually, and according to statute, equally informed. In this case, it appears you did not. Would you agree with that?” Issa stated.[137]

Gubernatorial recall

Issa 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.[138]

Presidential preference

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Issa endorsed Donald Trump for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[139]

See also: Endorsements for Donald Trump

Issa had previously endorsed Marco Rubio.[140]

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Darrell Issa endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[141]

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.[142] 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.[143]

Campaign donors


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.



Darrell Issa campaign contribution history
Year Office Result Contributions
2016 U.S. House, California District 49  ✔ $2,728,281
2014 U.S. House (California, District 49)  ✔ $3,750,000
2012 U.S. House California District 49  ✔ $2,478,710
2010 U.S. House California District 49  ✔ $1,495,193
2008 U.S. House California District 49  ✔ $1,035,312
2006 U.S. House California District 49  ✔ $908,837
2004 U.S. House California District 49  ✔ $871,009
2002 U.S. House California District 49  ✔ $560,857
2000 U.S. House California District 48  ✔ $2,282,030
Grand total raised $16,110,229

Source: Follow the Money


2016

Issa won re-election to the U.S. House in 2016. During that election cycle, Issa's campaign committee raised a total of $2,728,281 and spent $6,169,076.[144] This is more than the average $1.46 million spent by U.S. House winners in 2016.[145]

Cost per vote

Issa spent $39.57 per general election vote received in 2016.

U.S. House, California District 49, 2016 - Darrell Issa Campaign Contributions
Total Raised $2,728,281
Total Spent $6,169,076
Total Raised by Election Runner-up $2,067,355
Total Spent by Election Runner-up $1,633,251
Top contributors to Darrell Issa's campaign committee
Alphabet Inc$20,800
Deloitte LLP$18,700
Datron World Communications$16,200
Link Group$15,800
UBS AG$15,275
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee
Retired$285,497
Republican/Conservative$129,955
Leadership PACs$120,500
Lawyers/Law Firms$103,635
Real Estate$98,061
Source: Open Secrets

2014

Issa won re-election to the U.S. House in 2014. During that election cycle, Issa's campaign committee raised a total of $3,750,000 and spent $1,749,467.[146] This is more than the average $1.45 million spent by House winners in 2014.[147]

Cost per vote

Issa spent $17.82 per general election vote received in 2014.

U.S. House, California District 49, 2014 - Darrell Issa Campaign Contributions
Total Raised $3,750,000
Total Spent $1,749,467
Total Raised by Election Runner-up $94,234
Total Spent by Election Runner-up $85,320
Top contributors to Darrell Issa's campaign committee
Google Inc$22,145
Wilmerhale Llp$17,500
Bank of America$15,300
Sempra Energy$13,600
Consumer Electronics Assn$11,000
Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee
Retired$241,046
Republican/Conservative$172,887
Lawyers/Law Firms$94,025
Securities & Investment$90,900
Real Estate$89,825

Below are Issa's FEC reports.[148]

2012

Issa won re-election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Issa's campaign committee raised a total of $2,478,710 and spent $1,115,221.[157] This is less than the average $1.5 million spent by House winners in 2012.[158]

Cost per vote

Issa spent $6.98 per vote received in 2012.


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.[159]

His top five contributors between 2009-2010 were:


Personal Gain Index

Congressional Personal Gain Index graphic.png
See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives
Net Worth Metric graphic.png

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Issa's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $330,380,031 and $597,850,005. That averages to $464,115,018, which is higher than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Issa ranked as the wealthiest representative in 2012.[160] Between 2004 and 2012, Issa's calculated net worth[161] increased by an average of 11 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[162]

Darrell Issa Yearly Net Worth
YearAverage Net Worth
2004$248,480,547
2012$464,115,018
Growth from 2004 to 2012:87%
Average annual growth:11%[163]
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[164]
The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). In the 113th Congress, Issa is the Chair of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Issa received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Retired industry.

From 1997-2014, 7.89 percent of Issa's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[165]

Donation Concentration Metric graphic.png
Darrell Issa Campaign Contributions
Total Raised $22,857,164
Total Spent $19,109,968
Chair of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Retired$488,281
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products$367,789
Lawyers/Law Firms$329,714
Computers/Internet$310,540
Real Estate$307,910
% total in top industry2.14%
% total in top two industries3.75%
% total in top five industries7.89%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Issa was a rank-and-file Republican as of July 2014. This was the same rating Issa received in June 2013.[166]

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[167]

Issa most often voted with:

Issa least often voted with:


National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Issa ranked 72nd in the conservative rankings in 2013.[168]

2012

Issa ranked 41st in the conservative rankings in 2012.[169]

2011

Issa ranked 120th in the conservative rankings in 2011.[170]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Issa voted with the Republican Party 95.1 percent of the time, which ranked 76th among the 234 House Republican members as of July 2014.[171]

2013

Issa voted with the Republican Party 97.6 percent of the time, which ranked 83rd among the 233 House Republican members as of June 2013.[172]

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Issa missed 293 of 10,277 roll call votes from January 2001 to September 2015. This amounted to 2.9 percent, which was higher than the median of 2.2 percent among representatives as of September 2015.[173]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

2011

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Issa paid his congressional staff a total of $1,032,736 in 2011. He ranked 30th on the list of the highest paid Republican representative staff salaries and ranked 129th overall of the highest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, California ranked 5th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[174]

Wealthiest members of Congress

According to a report by The Hill, Issa is one of the three wealthiest members of Congress. His minimum net worth, earned through his car alarm business, was estimated at $355 million by the report. He is joined by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tx) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) on the list.[175]

2016 Republican National Convention

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Darrell Issa
Republican National Convention, 2016
Status:District-level delegate
Congressional district:49
State:California
Bound to:Donald Trump
Delegates to the RNC 2016
Calendar and delegate rules overviewTypes of delegatesDelegate rules by stateState election law and delegatesDelegates by state

Contents

Issa was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from California. All 172 delegates from California were bound by state party rules to support Donald Trump at the convention.[176] As of July 13, 2016, Trump had approximately 1,542 delegates. The winner of the Republican nomination needed the support of 1,237 delegates. Trump formally won the nomination on July 19, 2016.

Delegate rules

See also: RNC delegate guidelines from California, 2016 and Republican delegates from California, 2016

Republican presidential candidates were responsible for selecting their own delegates from California to the national convention. California state law required delegates to support the winner of the California Republican primary election unless that candidate received less than 10 percent of the vote at the convention in the first round of voting; or if the candidate released them; or if voting at the convention proceeded to a third round.

California primary results

See also: Presidential election in California, 2016
California Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump 74.7% 1,582,099 172
Ted Cruz 9.5% 201,441 0
John Kasich 11.4% 242,073 0
Ben Carson 0.7% 14,938 0
Jim Gilmore 3.7% 77,417 0
Totals 2,117,968 172
Source: The New York Times and California Secretary of State

Delegate allocation

See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules’’
Logo-GOP.png

California had 172 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 159 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 53 congressional districts). California's district delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the plurality winner in a given congressional district won all of that district's delegates.[177][178]

Of the remaining 13 delegates, 10 served at large. California's at-large delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the plurality winner of the statewide primary vote received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were required to pledge their support to the winner of the state's primary.[177][178]

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Issa and his wife, Kathy, have one child.

See also


External links

 


Footnotes

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  2. Politico, "Trump taps Darrell Issa to lead trade agency," September 19, 2018
  3. Politico, "Darrell Issa made nearly $60M in 2012," June 24, 2013
  4. LA Times, "Darrell Issa was Obama’s toughest critic. Here’s why he’s suddenly sounding like a moderate," July 16, 2017
  5. 5.0 5.1 Issa.House.gov, "About Darrell," accessed January 3, 2018
  6. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Darrell Issa," accessed November 16, 2011
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  8. The New York Times, "California Primary Results," June 7, 2016
  9. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named huffpost14
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  11. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named cnnr
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  161. This figure represents the total percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or the member's first year in office (as noted in the chart below).
  162. This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
  163. This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
  164. This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
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Political offices
Preceded by
Ron Packard
U.S. House of Representatives - California
2001-2019
Succeeded by
Mike Levin (D)