Darrell Issa

Darrell Issa was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Issa served in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1980 and reached the rank of captain. He earned a B.A. from Siena Heights College in 1976. Issa's career experience includes founding and working as the CEO of Directed Electronics.[1][2][3]

Darrell Issa did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Darrell Issa did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Darrell Issa did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Darrell Issa did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

BORDER AND IMMIGRATION

My position on the border is simple: We must build the wall.

We can’t keep our country safe if we don’t secure the border. For more than a decade, the Border Patrol has asked for the tools to do their job. The Border Wall is a powerful enforcement tool and a force multiplier. I visit with our Border Patrol agents frequently and they’ve shown me that a handful of agents can effectively patrol a mile of fenced border, while hundreds of agents are needed to patrol that same mile of open border.

The wall also makes it possible to apprehend criminals crossing the border, particularly drug smugglers and human traffickers.

When San Diego’s US Attorney refused to prosecute human smugglers, I fought to provide more resources for prosecution and ultimately, because of my work, the President fired and replaced the US Attorney with one who would enforce the law.

In addition to border enforcement, I believe we must focus equally on interior enforcement, removing those who have overstayed visas and entered the country on false pretenses. The rule of law must be restored before Congress can work to reform our legal immigration laws.

SANCTUARY CITIES

I applaud the Trump administration and cities and counties throughout California, including San Diego County and the City of Escondido, for standing up to Sacramento and taking legal action to fight California’s Sanctuary State law in order to keep our communities safe. I will continue working with President Trump to fight this lawlessness and hold our elected leaders accountable for enforcing the law.

IMPEACHMENT

Democrats are doing everything they can to subvert the will of voters in the 2016 election. One prominent Democrat even said, “if we don’t’ impeach the president, he’ll get re-elected.”

Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi have made it clear that they’ll use any excuse to remove the duly elected President of the United States from office. Impeachment should not be used as a tool for politicians to reverse the will of the American people.

We need conservatives in Washington who know how to fight fire with fire. I’ve proven my ability to stand up to extremists. My work resulted in Eric Holder being held in contempt of Congress, Hillary Clinton being held accountable for the deaths of American diplomats and servicemen in Benghazi, and Barack Obama being held accountable for presiding over the Lois Lerner scandal. I led the recall of Governor Gray Davis for many of the same failures of leadership that we’re now seeing from Gavin Newsom.

JOBS AND TRADE

I believe free trade is fair trade, but for too long, we’ve allowed our trading partners to take advantage of American workers. Our workers and businesses deserve a level playing field and the fair opportunity to compete. I supported the reduction in the corporate tax rate to make the United States competitive in the global market, to keep and create jobs in America and to encourage businesses to grow here at home.

I will join our President in standing up to China and any other nation which seeks to dump undervalued goods on our markets, manipulate their currency to cheat American workers or steal the intellectual property of American innovators.

LIFE

Every life has value and we must protect those who aren’t able to protect themselves.

As a Member of Congress, I earned a 100 percent voting record from the National Right to Life Committee – and a zero percent rating from Planned Parenthood. I voted to defund Planned Parenthood and supported numerous pro-life measures like the partial-birth abortion ban and the Pain Capable Unborn Child Act.

You don’t have to wonder whether I’ll stand for life in Congress, because I have a solid Pro-Life voting record throughout my entire career in Congress. I have never supported government funding for abortions and I never will.

SECOND AMENDMENT

“The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

The government can’t protect us by taking away our rights. The framers of the Constitution gave us the right to free speech to as the first line of defense against a tyrannical government, and gave us the right to keep and bear arms as the last line of defense.

Sadly, both the First and Second Amendments are under attack today. I will fight to prevent all infringements of our Constitutional rights.

I support safe and responsible gun ownership. I’ve never received lower than an ‘A’ rating from the NRA and I have been a proud recipient of their endorsement. I was honored to speak at the NRA’s national convention detailing my work to hold Eric Holder accountable for his Fast and Furious “gun walking” scandal, which factored in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Gun Owners of America called me a ‘Second Amendment Hero.’[23]

—Darrell Issa's 2020 campaign website[24]

The following issues were listed on Issa's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

Jobs and Economy: As small businessman and entrepreneur, I’ve worked tirelessly in Congress to create opportunity for hard-working Americans and put our economy back on track. Here in California we’ve seen first-hand how higher taxes and ever-increasing regulations have sent jobs everywhere but here. We need fresh solutions and unique approaches to bring jobs back to the Golden State.

Veterans: As a former Army captain, my highest priority is ensuring our nation keeps its promise to the men and women who our country every day. Unfortunately, bureaucracy, mismanagement, and insufficient accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs have meant that, too often, our veterans don’t get the care they deserve.

National Security: America must win the war against ISIS. The attacks in terrorist attacks in Orlando, San Bernadino and with our allies all around the world are desperate reminders that America is still at war against terrorist ideologies with the capacity to inspire and carry out large-scale attacks against us.

Technology: We cannot be scared of the future. Defending policies that maintain America's status as the world's leader in technological innovation has been one of the hallmarks of my tenure in Congress. Before coming to Capitol Hill, I was in the electronics industry and saw first-hand the importance of supporting America’s innovators. In Congress, I have fought hard for policies that encourage growth in the digital economy and strive to educate my colleagues on the importance of supporting our new economy.

Energy and Environment: Energy independence is crucial to the future of our national and economic security. The United States needs to pursue an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy to reduce our reliance on imported energy and lower the cost of gas and electricity for consumers.

[23]

—Darrell Issa's campaign website