Abstract
California’s 49th Congressional District in Southern California had been reliably Republican until the 2016 election. Long-time incumbent Darrell Issa was reelected by just 1,621 votes in the closest House race in the country. Democrat Doug Applegate took advantage of partisan changes and the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to outspend Issa. Issa faced a constituency that was more anti-Trump than most other vulnerable House Republican incumbents. Issa was hurt by his record investigating the Obama administration, endorsement of Trump, and Trump’s tweet supporting his candidacy. Issa espoused more moderate views and reached out to constituents in the aftermath of the close election. Issa’s district and others in California that have been trending Democratic will be ones to watch in upcoming elections.
The authors are listed in alphabetical order and contributed equally to this chapter.
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Brantley, L.J., Godwin, M.L. (2018). California 49th Congressional District: A Near Upset in the Golden State. In: Foreman, S., Godwin, M. (eds) The Roads to Congress 2016. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58094-4_6
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