Darrell Issa

In the 2024 House race for CA-48, Darrell E. Issa (R) defeated Stephen Houlahan (D) 59.3% to 40.7%. Darrell E. Issa received 213,625 votes compared to 146,665 for Stephen Houlahan, a comfortable 18.6-point margin indicating a moderately safe district.

As the incumbent, Darrell E. Issa benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2024 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.

In the 2022 House race for CA-48, Darrell E. Issa (R) defeated Stephen Houlahan (D) 60.4% to 39.6%. Darrell E. Issa received 155,171 votes compared to 101,900 for Stephen Houlahan, a dominant 20.7-point margin reflecting a safely partisan district.

This was an open-seat race with no incumbent running — Michelle Steel (R) previously held the seat. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. As a Republican, Darrell E. Issa benefited from the historical midterm penalty against the president's party — with a Democrat in the White House, the opposition typically gains seats.

In the 2016 House race for CA-49, Darrell E. Issa (R) defeated Doug Applegate (D) 50.3% to 49.7%. Darrell E. Issa received 155,888 votes compared to 154,267 for Doug Applegate, a razor-thin margin of just 0.5 points — among the closest races in the country.

As the incumbent, Darrell E. Issa benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2016 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.

In the 2014 House race for CA-49, Darrell E. Issa (R) defeated Dave Peiser (D) 60.2% to 39.8%. Darrell E. Issa received 98,161 votes compared to 64,981 for Dave Peiser, a dominant 20.3-point margin reflecting a safely partisan district.

As the incumbent, Darrell E. Issa benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. As a Republican, Darrell E. Issa benefited from the historical midterm penalty against the president's party — with a Democrat in the White House, the opposition typically gains seats.

In the 2012 House race for CA-49, Darrell E. Issa (R) defeated Jerry Tetalman (D) 58.2% to 41.8%. Darrell E. Issa received 159,725 votes compared to 114,893 for Jerry Tetalman, a comfortable 16.3-point margin indicating a moderately safe district.

This was an open-seat race. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. The 2012 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.