Can this retired U.S. Marine colonel unseat longtime San Diego County Rep. Darrell Issa? [Excerpts]
The Los Angeles Times
By Phil Willon
September 20, 2016
…[T]his once-impenetrable GOP stronghold is now in play. Applegate, a retired Marine colonel and Iraq war veteran, has Republican stalwart Rep. Darrell Issa sweating his bid for reelection.
…But Paty Newman of Fallbrook, a former member of the San Diego County Republican Party’s central committee, said Issa should be worried. Newman said that she once served as an Issa delegate to a California Republican Party convention, and that the congressman has been absent from his district for way too long — and people have noticed.
“I think he’s petrified,” Newman said. “They’re finally sick of all of these guys who’ve never done anything except for themselves and power.”
…Issa’s strong political allegiance with Donald Trump also may cut into his support among Republicans and independents who are wary of the controversial GOP presidential nominee, Fink said.
…Applegate grew up outside Dayton, Ohio, where his father was a security officer at a propeller factory and his mother worked at an insurance firm. He joined the Marines after graduating from Arizona State University and, during his 32 years in the service, completed combat tours in Baghdad and Fallujah.
He also served as a military lawyer for about three decades. After he retired from the Marines in 2006, he worked as a general practice trial attorney throughout Southern California…
“I really got frustrated that 95% of Congress had never been in a combat zone,” Applegate said about his decision to run for office. “They make the decision to send our children and grandchildren, our sons and daughters, in harm’s way. I don’t think they ask the right questions.”
…Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar, a Republican who is running for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, said Republicans who live along the coast tend to be a different breed from those in other areas. They’re generally more moderate and not as impressed by politicians who make a partisan splash in Washington, she said.
…Gaspar voted for Trump in the primary but has since become disillusioned by his campaign. She didn’t respond when asked whether she’ll back Issa in November.