Issa’s departure is sparking infighting among Democrats in the key House race

from Nadia Lathan and Deborah BrennanCalMatters

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When Republican Darrell Issa dropped out of his re-election campaign last month, Democrats celebrated. Now some are worried.

Issa’s retirement is seen as a mixed blessing among Democrats, who have been looking to flip his San Diego House seat for years. While demonstrators at a No Kings rally last weekend were jubilant to see him drop out of the race, local Democratic organizers are more cautious. The Republican who took his place, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, is a longtime local official with a household name, fundraising connections and community ties — without Issa’s close ties to President Donald Trump.

“If anything, Jim Desmond is a slightly better candidate than Darrell Issa in some ways” because he is not as closely associated with Trump, said Dan Rothenstreich, a spokesman for Marnie von Wilpert, one of the two leading Democrats in the race.

The a new highly contested area covers most of East and North San Diego County and parts of Riverside County, including Palm Springs. His voters’ makeup changed from a deep red to a light blue when they voted in California approved a redevelopment plan to try to give the state five more Democratic members after Texas created five additional Republican seats.

San Diego Democrats, including Councilwoman Marnie Von Wilpert and former Obama staffer Amar Campa-Najjar, are running against Desmond in a crowded field. The top two vote-getters in the June primary will face off in the November general election, regardless of party affiliation. Given the makeup of the district, Desmond is expected to secure one of those seats.

With local experience in a cross-party office, Desmond is a “terrific opponent” of Democrats, said Ross Pike, a parliamentarian with the Fallbrook Democratic Club. Desmond picked up nearly $1.4 million by late last year, and the main arm of the GOP re-election campaign, the National Republican Congressional Committee, says it is optimistic about the district as Desmond aims to cast himself as a moderate focused on affordability and immigration.

“He seems more approachable, less polarizing and he’s given grants to different areas and people know him for that, so it’s going to be tough,” said Amalia Martinez, vice president of communications for the Escondido Democratic Club, which has endorsed Von Wilpert.

And in a race with many Democrats, party support is split. In the regional stage of the California Democratic endorsement process, Von Wilpert fell short by a single vote. During the state convention she won more than half of the delegates’ votes, but fell short of the 60% threshold. Campa-Najjar received 18% support from delegates.

Another Democrat, Palm Springs businessman Brandon Riker, is also gaining ground in the Coachella Valley. He had raised $1.5 million by the end of the year and was the only candidate other than Von Wilpert and Campa-Najjar to win multiple votes at the California Democratic convention.

“The more Democrats that are on that primary ballot, that’s the fewer votes that Marnie has to get,” Martinez said.

Leading Democrats responded to Issa’s departure by comparing Desmond to Issa and labeling him a “MAGA extremist”, revising his controversial comments downplaying the deaths from COVID-19 and emphasizing his votes against county policy which restricts ICE agents’ access to county facilities.

Campa-Najjar, a former Obama public affairs official who is seeking a third term in San Diego’s congressional seat, said she welcomes Desmond to the race.

“Democrats need to be the opposition party to Trump. But we also need to be the party of opportunity. We need to have a positive message to cut spending, raise wages, contain health care costs and make sure this president follows the law,” Campa-Najar said in an interview.

A spokesman for Desmond said he is focused on public safety and accessibility issues. “As Democrats fight each other, their crowded field is a reminder of how out of touch they are,” said spokesman Sam O. His campaign declined to make him available for an interview.

Campa-Najjar had raised about $823,000 late last year and received the most endorsements from members of Congress, including his running mate, Democratic Rep. Sarah Jacobs. But local support has waned after two previous unsuccessful campaigns for Congress, and some Democrats have criticized him for changing his policy stance on gun control.

Von Wilpert had raised $520,000 late last year and has been endorsed by state unions and local San Diego Democratic clubs.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee does not plan to endorse a candidate before the primaries.

Democrats are turning on each other

Party support will give the winner campaign funding and party support. Without it, local organizers and volunteers must put more effort into getting the name of their preferred candidate out.

“I’m very disappointed because I’m going to have to knock on more doors,” said Martinez of the Escondido Democratic Club.

No party endorsement could also weaken Democratic candidates in the primaries if they crash each other and run out of campaign funds before the general election. In addition to attacking Desmond, Democrats are turning on each other. Republicans gleefully highlight the dispute between von Wilpert and Campa-Najjar; she called him anti-LGBTQ for questioning whether he could win over voters outside the gay-friendly city of Palm Springs; he accused her of racism for questioning his name and residence changes.

Opponents also criticized Camp-Najjar for who allegedly misrepresented his military service and who allegedly made racist and sexist remarks on MySpace in 2009.

But a tough primary battle could also solidify the Democratic front-runners ahead of a contest with Desmond in November.

“The advantage of a competitive primary is that it forces Democrats to build their voter ID across the county, which will only benefit them in the general election,” Pike said.

They have work to do. At the No Kings protest, many demonstrators said they weren’t sure who was running in the 48th District or weren’t following the race closely.

“It’s a little messed up,” said John Boyers, a protester in the Escondido Rally last weekend. “The herd needs to lose some weight.”

The fast-moving race makes it difficult for voters and candidates to weigh their options. Issa built a reputation as a conservative 10 years ago when he led several high-profile investigations into the Obama administration.

Desmond, who was appointed county supervisor this year, previously ran for the 49th District and quickly won Issa’s endorsement when he moved to the more competitive 48th District.

Before leaving, Issa was backed by years of name recognition and connections. Still, just three months after telling voters he would stay in California after briefly considering a run in Texas, Issa announced he was retiring for good. It was the last time he stepped down in 2018 after his coastal San Diego district at the time, the 49th, became increasingly liberal.

The fact that Issa, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, has left the race after 25 years in office is a warning sign for Republicans, strategists say.

“If he looks at it and says no, that’s encouraging for Democrats,” said political consultant Mason Heron.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.