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| Support for Donald Trump Puts House Stalwart in Battle to Keep His Seat | Support for Donald Trump Puts House Stalwart in Battle to Keep His Seat |
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| MODESTO, Calif. — For more than 15 years, Representative Darrell Issa has not so much as put out a yard sign. A Republican comfortably ensconced in his Southern California seat, he has blown by one challenger after another since being elected in 2000. | MODESTO, Calif. — For more than 15 years, Representative Darrell Issa has not so much as put out a yard sign. A Republican comfortably ensconced in his Southern California seat, he has blown by one challenger after another since being elected in 2000. |
| The days of his double-digit victories may be over. When the campaign season began, Mr. Issa was on nobody’s list of vulnerable incumbents. Often cited as the wealthiest member of Congress, he is said to be able to bankroll his own campaign. His district has not undergone major demographic changes. And for years he had promised to be the most vigilant interrogator of the Obama administration from his perch on an oversight committee, which Republicans cheered. | The days of his double-digit victories may be over. When the campaign season began, Mr. Issa was on nobody’s list of vulnerable incumbents. Often cited as the wealthiest member of Congress, he is said to be able to bankroll his own campaign. His district has not undergone major demographic changes. And for years he had promised to be the most vigilant interrogator of the Obama administration from his perch on an oversight committee, which Republicans cheered. |
| But in this upside down year, Mr. Issa finds himself suddenly in danger of defeat, a prognosis only worsened by his decision to embrace Donald J. Trump. | But in this upside down year, Mr. Issa finds himself suddenly in danger of defeat, a prognosis only worsened by his decision to embrace Donald J. Trump. |
| “It’s a mystifyingly bad campaign that Issa’s run,” said David Wasserman, an editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “And he is in grave danger.” | “It’s a mystifyingly bad campaign that Issa’s run,” said David Wasserman, an editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “And he is in grave danger.” |
| Democrats, who cannot contain their glee at the prospect of his defeat, are trying to make the case that Mr. Issa is not alone. “If Darrell Issa, a long-term member who is well known in his district and outside his district, who is the richest member of Congress, is on the cusp of losing,” said Representative Xavier Becerra of California, a member of House Democratic leadership, “then it’s not just Darrell Issa who’s going down.” | |
| Wealthier, white voters in the suburbs dominate Mr. Issa’s district, an idyllic stretch of mountains and coastline between Los Angeles and San Diego, including San Clemente, where a disgraced President Richard M. Nixon went to write his memoirs. | Wealthier, white voters in the suburbs dominate Mr. Issa’s district, an idyllic stretch of mountains and coastline between Los Angeles and San Diego, including San Clemente, where a disgraced President Richard M. Nixon went to write his memoirs. |
| About seven hours north, Representative Jeff Denham, a Republican who was first elected in 2010, is also facing a tough re-election fight. His district includes Modesto, a city of 205,000 that was depicted by the filmmaker George Lucas, a native son, in “American Graffiti.” Today, the poverty rate hovers around 19 percent in a district where much of the economy depends on farming — particularly almonds, a crop greedy for water in the drought-stricken Central Valley of California where Modesto lies. | About seven hours north, Representative Jeff Denham, a Republican who was first elected in 2010, is also facing a tough re-election fight. His district includes Modesto, a city of 205,000 that was depicted by the filmmaker George Lucas, a native son, in “American Graffiti.” Today, the poverty rate hovers around 19 percent in a district where much of the economy depends on farming — particularly almonds, a crop greedy for water in the drought-stricken Central Valley of California where Modesto lies. |
| President Obama won at least once in each incumbent’s district — twice in Mr. Denham’s, where some party-agnostic, regionally focused conservative Democrats are more likely to refer to themselves as “valleycrats.” Both districts have a large and growing Latino population, a group that historically is less likely to vote but is expected to do so in this year of antipathy toward Mr. Trump. | President Obama won at least once in each incumbent’s district — twice in Mr. Denham’s, where some party-agnostic, regionally focused conservative Democrats are more likely to refer to themselves as “valleycrats.” Both districts have a large and growing Latino population, a group that historically is less likely to vote but is expected to do so in this year of antipathy toward Mr. Trump. |
| Mr. Denham, like Mr. Issa, has expressed support for Mr. Trump — or at least declined to push him away. | Mr. Denham, like Mr. Issa, has expressed support for Mr. Trump — or at least declined to push him away. |
| California Republicans have no candidate for the Senate because the state’s open primary left two Democrats vying for the seat of Senator Barbara Boxer, who is retiring. Numerous ballot initiatives focused on progressive causes could also give Republicans few reasons to turn out. | California Republicans have no candidate for the Senate because the state’s open primary left two Democrats vying for the seat of Senator Barbara Boxer, who is retiring. Numerous ballot initiatives focused on progressive causes could also give Republicans few reasons to turn out. |
| “Normal people don’t get motivated by congressional candidates,” said Daniel Schnur, a professor at the University of Southern California, who was communications director for Senator John McCain in his 2000 presidential bid. “They get motivated by the top of the ticket, and then they stick around to vote down ballot.” | “Normal people don’t get motivated by congressional candidates,” said Daniel Schnur, a professor at the University of Southern California, who was communications director for Senator John McCain in his 2000 presidential bid. “They get motivated by the top of the ticket, and then they stick around to vote down ballot.” |
| The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the House Majority PAC, a Democratic “super PAC,” have invested more than $4 million to defeat Mr. Issa and Mr. Denham. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, recently gave more than $1.6 million to Mr. Denham as part of a nationwide investment to shore up Republican candidates. | The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the House Majority PAC, a Democratic “super PAC,” have invested more than $4 million to defeat Mr. Issa and Mr. Denham. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, recently gave more than $1.6 million to Mr. Denham as part of a nationwide investment to shore up Republican candidates. |
| Mr. Issa, who endorsed Mr. Trump after previously backing Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, has signed on to the Republican nominee’s national security advisory board. When a 2005 recording surfaced in which Mr. Trump talked about sexually assaulting women, Mr. Issa’s campaign released a statement condemning the remarks as “wholly inappropriate, offensive and unfitting of anyone seeking to lead our nation,” but the congressman did not rescind his support. | Mr. Issa, who endorsed Mr. Trump after previously backing Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, has signed on to the Republican nominee’s national security advisory board. When a 2005 recording surfaced in which Mr. Trump talked about sexually assaulting women, Mr. Issa’s campaign released a statement condemning the remarks as “wholly inappropriate, offensive and unfitting of anyone seeking to lead our nation,” but the congressman did not rescind his support. |
| But he has tried an even more surprising move: embracing Mr. Obama. As the former chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Mr. Issa so relished his position as the chief interrogator of the Obama administration during hearings on the Internal Revenue Service scandal and the attacks on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that he used a stick figure in a police officer’s cap as his Twitter avatar. Yet he recently distributed campaign mailers promoting a bill for which he was one of 40 co-sponsors that included a photo showing Mr. Obama signing it into law. | But he has tried an even more surprising move: embracing Mr. Obama. As the former chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Mr. Issa so relished his position as the chief interrogator of the Obama administration during hearings on the Internal Revenue Service scandal and the attacks on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that he used a stick figure in a police officer’s cap as his Twitter avatar. Yet he recently distributed campaign mailers promoting a bill for which he was one of 40 co-sponsors that included a photo showing Mr. Obama signing it into law. |
| “That is the definition of chutzpah,” Mr. Obama said of Mr. Issa during a fund-raiser on Sunday in the San Diego enclave of La Jolla. | “That is the definition of chutzpah,” Mr. Obama said of Mr. Issa during a fund-raiser on Sunday in the San Diego enclave of La Jolla. |
| Mr. Issa also dallied on investing in his race, waiting until October to start running ads, Mr. Wasserman said. | Mr. Issa also dallied on investing in his race, waiting until October to start running ads, Mr. Wasserman said. |
| Mr. Issa’s opponent, Doug Applegate, a retired Marine colonel who served in Iraq, has run ads with the help of significant financial support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. | Mr. Issa’s opponent, Doug Applegate, a retired Marine colonel who served in Iraq, has run ads with the help of significant financial support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. |
| Mr. Issa is fighting back, highlighting in part accusations made against Mr. Applegate by his ex-wife in the early 2000s. According to court records, first reported by Politico, she was granted two temporary restraining orders after claiming Mr. Applegate had threatened her during a divorce and custody battle. | Mr. Issa is fighting back, highlighting in part accusations made against Mr. Applegate by his ex-wife in the early 2000s. According to court records, first reported by Politico, she was granted two temporary restraining orders after claiming Mr. Applegate had threatened her during a divorce and custody battle. |
| “You have to look at the first person who responded to those really baseless allegations: It was my ex-wife,” Mr. Applegate said in an interview. “She was offended at the attacks, said that she supported me and was going to be voting for me in November.” | “You have to look at the first person who responded to those really baseless allegations: It was my ex-wife,” Mr. Applegate said in an interview. “She was offended at the attacks, said that she supported me and was going to be voting for me in November.” |
| For his part, Mr. Issa is spending money “in a targeted and data-driven way to ensure the best bang-for-the-buck,” Calvin Moore, Mr. Issa’s spokesman, wrote in an email. | For his part, Mr. Issa is spending money “in a targeted and data-driven way to ensure the best bang-for-the-buck,” Calvin Moore, Mr. Issa’s spokesman, wrote in an email. |
| Like many endangered Republican incumbents, Mr. Denham has danced around whether he supports Mr. Trump, saying he will work with whoever wins in November. “I’ve not weighed into this because I think it’s not my place to weigh into it,” he said. | Like many endangered Republican incumbents, Mr. Denham has danced around whether he supports Mr. Trump, saying he will work with whoever wins in November. “I’ve not weighed into this because I think it’s not my place to weigh into it,” he said. |
| In a column in The Modesto Bee in August, Mr. Denham said that while he was often troubled by Mr. Trump’s comments, the New York developer was the only candidate who had “at least recognized” the region’s water problem and had selected “an impressive group” of potential Supreme Court justices. | In a column in The Modesto Bee in August, Mr. Denham said that while he was often troubled by Mr. Trump’s comments, the New York developer was the only candidate who had “at least recognized” the region’s water problem and had selected “an impressive group” of potential Supreme Court justices. |
| His opponent, Michael Eggman, a beekeeper, has staked his campaign on tying Mr. Denham to Mr. Trump. Walking along the rows of droning bees and almond trees on the farm he inherited from his father, Mr. Eggman gave few policy specifics but did offer a forceful denunciation of the congressman who beat him by 12 percentage points in 2014. | His opponent, Michael Eggman, a beekeeper, has staked his campaign on tying Mr. Denham to Mr. Trump. Walking along the rows of droning bees and almond trees on the farm he inherited from his father, Mr. Eggman gave few policy specifics but did offer a forceful denunciation of the congressman who beat him by 12 percentage points in 2014. |
| “To prove the fact that he’s so disconnected from this district, he’s endorsing Trump for president,” Mr. Eggman said. “Trump doesn’t represent the valley values that I know.” | “To prove the fact that he’s so disconnected from this district, he’s endorsing Trump for president,” Mr. Eggman said. “Trump doesn’t represent the valley values that I know.” |
| Mr. Denham’s refusal to disavow Mr. Trump has also put him at odds with the editorial board of The Modesto Bee, the largest newspaper in his district. The paper has endorsed him four times — most recently in 2014 against Mr. Eggman, who has never held elected office. But after proclaiming, “If Jeff Denham can’t reject Trump, we must reject him,” the paper endorsed Mr. Eggman in an editorial that referred to Mr. Trump as a “dangerous demagogue.” | Mr. Denham’s refusal to disavow Mr. Trump has also put him at odds with the editorial board of The Modesto Bee, the largest newspaper in his district. The paper has endorsed him four times — most recently in 2014 against Mr. Eggman, who has never held elected office. But after proclaiming, “If Jeff Denham can’t reject Trump, we must reject him,” the paper endorsed Mr. Eggman in an editorial that referred to Mr. Trump as a “dangerous demagogue.” |
| Joseph Kieta, the paper’s editor, said Mr. Denham had been motivated by fear of political backlash more than his constituents’ best interests. | Joseph Kieta, the paper’s editor, said Mr. Denham had been motivated by fear of political backlash more than his constituents’ best interests. |
| “I cannot believe that he, in his heart of hearts, thinks that Donald Trump, who wants to deport Latinos, is good for his district,” Mr. Kieta said. | “I cannot believe that he, in his heart of hearts, thinks that Donald Trump, who wants to deport Latinos, is good for his district,” Mr. Kieta said. |
| “It exposed something about Denham that we didn’t know before,” he added. | “It exposed something about Denham that we didn’t know before,” he added. |