The stunning news Wednesday afternoon that Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., was retiring from Congress raised talk of a Democratic takeover of the House this fall to a crescendo in Washington.
Coming on the heels of a similar announcement from fellow Rep. Edward Royce, R-Calif., in the nearby 39th District, Issa's exit from the 49th District (San Diego-Orange County) means two seats in Southern California are better-than-even money to flip to Democrat this fall.
All told, an eyebrow-raising 36 House Republicans are now either retiring, resigning, or seeking another office. Democrats need to make a net gain of 24 seats to capture control of the House and make Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi the next speaker.
"There are a lot of reasons for this ever-growing number of Republican House Members calling it quits," political scientist Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institute told Newsmax. "The growing odds that Democrats could take the majority this year is certainly one of the reasons. Who wants to serve in the minority?"
Former House Government Reform Committee Chairman Issa, famed for his dogged probes into alleged Obama Administration corruption, has held the 49th District seat (San Diego-Orange County) since 2000.
In one of the few House races of 2016 in which former President Barack Obama campaigned for the Democratic candidate, Issa was held to a win of less than 2000 votes. His near-successful opponent, retired U.S. Marine Col. Doug Applegate is running again. Republicans are scrambling for a strong candidate to try to hold the 49th District.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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