ICYMI
Tough race forces wealthiest congressman to spend [Excerpts]
The Associated Press
By Michael R. Blood
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, the wealthiest member of Congress with a fortune estimated at more than $250 million, didn’t spend a penny on television ads or yard signs as he cruised to victory in recent elections.
Not this time.
…It’s not former Gov. Ronald Reagan’s California — or even Pete Wilson’s.
A decade ago, Republicans held a 20-point registration advantage over Democrats in the 49th Congressional District, which includes wealthy seaside enclaves north of San Diego but also densely packed, diverse suburban communities. That double-digit margin has dwindled to single digits, while the number of independents has soared by 60 percent over that time.
The extent of the danger Issa faces on Nov. 8 is open to debate, but the risk can be seen in voters like Nancy Henley.
The 60-year-old executive saleswoman has the kind of voter profile coveted by Issa and Applegate. She’s a registered independent who lives in Oceanside, a political battleground on the edge of Camp Pendleton, the vast Marine Corps base.
Applegate, in his first run for office, is a mystery to her. But a mention of Trump’s name brings a grimace and a cascade of pejoratives: Arrogant. Narcissistic. Egomaniac.
If Issa is with Trump, Henley says, “count him out for me.”
…To Applegate, Issa is ripe for defeat because he is complicit in the stalemate that has gripped Washington for years. Democrats are running an ad comparing the congressman to Trump.
“Washington is a mess and Darrel Issa isn’t part of the problem, he is the problem,” Applegate says. “He’s afraid that the curtain is coming down on him.”
Emily Berry, 31, a Democrat who was toting her 1-year-old son outside an Oceanside library, said she hasn’t made a final decision in the race.
But when asked about Issa and Trump, she added, “If he has endorsed Donald Trump, I will not be voting for him.”