House Republicans Hitting Exits at Twice the Pace of Democrats

(Bloomberg) -- California Republican Darrell Issa said Wednesday he won’t seek re-election this year, bringing the number of House GOP members who have left or are leaving in this election cycle to 38.

That’s more than double the number of House Democrats -- 16 -- who are leaving this year, underscoring the difficult political conditions Republicans face ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

Issa’s retirement moves the contest for his Southern California seat from a toss-up to one that leans in Democrats’ favor, said Sabato’s Crystal Ball analyst Kyle Kondik. The district, which includes coastal parts of Orange and San Diego Counties, backed Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016 by nearly 8 percentage points, with Issa narrowly holding onto his seat.

Read more: Here is a table tracking congressional retirements

Issa was one of just two California Republicans who voted against the landmark GOP tax bill in December, saying it didn’t go “far enough to guarantee tax relief for constituents in my district.” The other, Dana Rohrabacher, is a top Democratic target in November’s elections.

To contact the reporter on this story: Derek Wallbank in Washington at dwallbank@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Gordon at cgordon39@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Titus, Derek Wallbank

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