Lebanese American Darrell Issa Retiring From Congress

posted on: Jan 10, 2018

First elected to Congress in 2000, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) announced today he will retire from Congress.

In a statement released, Issa stated, “Throughout my service, I worked hard and never lost sight of the people our government is supposed to serve.” He went on to say, “yet with the support of my family, I have decided that I will not seek re-election in California’s 49th District.”

California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa confirmed that he will not run for re-election this year. https://t.co/e6E1NYEJRn

— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) January 10, 2018

Issa, is one of the wealthiest members of Congress (Estimated net worth of $460,000 million) and is the grandson of Arab American immigrants. Rep. Issa grew up in Cleveland; his paternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from Lebanon.

In November 2016, Issa narrowly won re-election in his race against Democrat Doug Applegate by 1,621 votes. Democratic candidate, Applegate, recently announced his intent to run for Issa’s seat in 2018.

In addition to Issa, Rep. Ed Royce also announced his retirement. Both were considered targets regarding re-election when Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won their districts in 2016.

Compiled by Arab America