Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who formerly chaired the powerful House Oversight Committee, will announce his retirement on Wednesday. “I am forever grateful to the people of San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties for their support and affording me the honor of serving them all these years,” he said in a statement. “Representing you has been the privilege of a lifetime.” Republican Diane Harkey is expected to run for the seat. Issa was first elected in 2000, from a slightly red district straddling San Diego and Orange counties. His retirement from Congress makes him at least the thirty-first Republican to not seek reelection in the Trump era. On Tuesday, fellow Southern California Republican Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced he would not seek reelection in 2018.