Editing Darrell Issa (section)

====2016====
{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2016#District 49}}
In the June open primary, Issa received 51% of the vote to 46% for Democrat [[Doug Applegate (California politician)|Doug Applegate]], a retired Marine colonel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-rep/district/49|title=2016 General Election Results - California Secretary of State|access-date=November 12, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112080931/http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/us-rep/district/49|archive-date=November 12, 2016 }}</ref> Issa and Applegate advanced to the general election in November.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/darrell-issa-doug-applegate-viable-challenger|title=Darrell Issa Gets Viable Challenger |publisher=Roll Call|date=June 10, 2016|access-date=August 28, 2016|last=Garcia|first=Eric}}</ref> In October, Applegate and Issa were ranked by the [[Cook Political Report]] as equally likely to win.

Issa sent out a campaign mailer that featured a photograph of President [[Barack Obama]] signing a law. The mailer said that Issa was "very pleased" that Obama signed the [[Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act]], which Issa had co-sponsored.

Unusually, President Obama responded to this late campaign mailer by saying that Issa's "primary contribution to the U.S. Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer dollars on trumped up investigations that have led nowhere." Obama said that, because of fading support for [[Donald Trump]], Issa was promoting his cooperation with the president although he had previously accused Obama of corruption.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/24/politics/barack-obama-darrell-issa-comments|title=Obama: Issa 'not somebody who is serious about working on problems'|last=Liptak|first=Kevin|date=October 24, 2016|work=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

Issa said, "I've worked with the administration on good legislation where it was possible, called out wrongdoing wherever I saw it and will continue to do so."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-after-getting-ripped-by-president-1477351797-htmlstory.html|title=GOP Rep. Darrell Issa returns fire after President Obama rips his campaign mailer|last=Willon|first=Phil|date=October 24, 2016|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

On November 23, 2016, Issa held a 3,234-vote lead with approximately 6,000 ballots still uncounted. He declared victory, but Applegate had not conceded.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wisckol|first1=Martin|title=Congressman Issa declares re-election win in 49th district|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/issa-736346-applegate-campaign.html|access-date=November 23, 2016 |publisher=Orange County Register|date=November 22, 2016}}</ref> The [[Associated Press]] finally declared Issa the winner on November 28, citing a small but convincing lead with only a few votes left to count.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/us/politics/darrell-issa-wins-congress-california.html?_r=0|title=Darrell Issa Narrowly Wins Re-election in California|last=Chokshi|first=Niraj|date=November 28, 2016|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 29, 2016}}</ref>