San Juan Capistrano Mayor Brian Maryott announced Thursday that he has received the endorsement of former Rep. Darrell Issa in his bid for Congressional District 49, which includes northern San Diego.
Issa represented the 49th District in Congress for 16 years from 2002 to 2018, choosing to forego a re-election run last year. He also served one term representing the state’s 48th District from 2000 to 2002 before it was re- districted. Last September, President Donald Trump nominated him to lead the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
“I’m confident that Brian Maryott will represent the 49th District with all of the integrity and experience that the office deserves,” Issa said. “Brian is committed to cutting through political red tape to create an environment in which families and communities succeed and thrive.”
Maryott is attempting to flip the formerly reliable Republican district after environmental attorney Rep. Mike Levin, D-Oceanside, was elected in 2018.
Since entering the race in March, Maryott has received endorsements from a large swath of Republicans in Orange and San Diego counties, including San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, the mayors of Vista, Carlsbad and Oceanside, the Republican Party of San Diego County and the Lincoln Club of San Diego County.
“Elected leaders should always put their communities first, as Congressman Issa did during his nearly two decades of service to the 49th District,” Maryott said. “When I get to Congress, I will put people over politics to deliver meaningful results for our district.”
Levin beat former California State Board of Equalization member Diane Harkey by nearly 13 percentage points in 2018, a swift turnaround for a district Issa won by more than 20 points in 2014. In the district’s 2018 primary, Maryott received 3% of the vote and finished behind three other Republicans, including Harkey.
The Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voter Index rates the 49th District as a swing district, with Republican voter registration outnumbering Democrats by about 3%.
The district includes parts of southern Orange County and northern San Diego County, including Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad and Encinitas, along with Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base.
–City News Service