Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Alpine) announced late Friday he will retire at the end of this term.
"This decision has been on my mind for a while and I didn’t make it lightly," Issa said in a statement. "Today I’m announcing my enthusiastic endorsement of Supervisor Jim Desmond for Congress - to represent California’s new 48th district."
Earlier on Friday San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond withdrew as a candidate from the race for the 49th Congressional District seat. The district is currently held by Democrat Mike Levin, Instead, Desmond began the filing process to run in the 48th District. That seat is currently held by Issa.
Those changes are found in the candidates’ list released late Friday by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Desmond’s campaign website and account on the social platform X were updated Friday afternoon to show the change in district.
While Issa had also begun the filing process to run in the district in February, by late afternoon on Friday he had not formally entered the 48th district race, according to a candidate list updated by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters at 4:43 p.m. The filing deadline was 5 p.m.
Because Issa is not running, any person other than him will be granted an extension until March 11 to file nomination documents for the office, according to the registrar.
These last minute changes come following the November passage of Proposition 50, which redrew California's congressional district boundaries to be more favorable toward Democratic candidates.
KPBS reached out to Desmond's campaign and received no response.
"I'm running for Congress in California's 48th District, and I couldn't be more excited — because this community is part of who I am. I've spent decades here — not as a politician, but as a dad, a neighbor, and a pilot who built his life right here in San Diego County," Desmond said in a post on X Friday.
