Issa Helps Dems Win the House

Darrell Issa of beautiful Vista, California, south of Camp Pendleton Marine Base, just ended his 9-term congressional career due to his district shifting Democratic and 2018 not looking promising for House Republican members.

Issa was in one of the 23 house seats Hillary Clinton won (7 points) in 2016. He barely survived a strong Democratic challenge (1,600 votes).

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) announced on Wed., Jan. 10, 2018
 he will be retiring | Andrew Kelly/Reuters

He joins a growing number of Republican colleagues (32 as of today) who have decided to retire or are running for other jobs. Orange County Congressman Ed Royce also announced his retirement. Clinton won Royce’s seat too.

The loss of incumbents makes the Republican task of holding the seats more difficult. Of course, to win a net of 24 new districts, Democrats will need to defeat some incumbents in districts President Trump won.

Followers of The Buzz are making their bets on the outcome of the November 2018 midterm elections. The range:

Democrats
Democrats win 70 House seats and 13 Senate seats (with Trump in office).

Democrats win 20 House seats and Senate keeps its 51-49 margin favoring Republicans (Trump out of office).

Republicans
Republicans maintain House control, either winning or losing 2 seats. They gain 4 Senate seats.

See:
LA Times: Issa becomes second California Republican to announce retirement as Democrats look to reclaim house
CNN Politics: House Republicans are sprinting for the exits ahead of 2018 midterms
RealClearPolitics: Issa Retirement boosts Democrats’ 2018 prospects