Issa, Darrell, 1953-

Darrell Edward Issa (born November 1, 1953) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he has served as the U.S. Representative for California's 50th congressional district since 2021. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2019, representing California's 48th and 49th congressional districts.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Cleveland Heights, Issa dropped out of high school on his 17th birthday and enlisted for three years in the Army. Issa majored in business administration at Siena Heights University, a small Roman Catholic college in Adrian, Michigan, followed by Stark branch campus of Kent State University, where he enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He served in the Army Reserve from 1976 to 1980 and was promoted to the rank of captain. After leaving the military, Issa returned to the Cleveland area and went into business, investing in Quantum Enterprises, an electronics manufacturer run by a friend from Cleveland Heights that assembled bug zappers, CB radio parts, and other consumer products for other companies. He started Directed Electronics, Inc. after moving to the San Diego suburb of Vista, California. Issa's first campaign for elected office was in 1998, when he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for United States Senate to run against incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer.

Issa was elected to the U.S. House in 2000 to the first of nine consecutive terms, representing the 48th district from 2001 to 2003 and the 49th district from 2003 to 2019. He was elected to a tenth term from the neighboring 50th district in 2020. As a congressman and leader at California’s grassroots level, Issa has championed smart, limited government and advanced legislation to balance the federal budget and promote transparency to hold government accountable to the people. A holder of 37 patents, Issa has been vigilant about protecting intellectual property rights. His successful efforts to fight human trafficking along the U.S. border have resulted in tougher laws, stiffer penalties, and more consistent enforcement. His watchful concern to guarantee that U.S. taxpayers receive the royalties they are owed from mineral interests on federal lands exposed fraud and mismanagement at the Mineral Management Service (MMS) in 2006. In 2008, when Congress was asked to pass the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in the wake of that year’s financial crisis, Issa stood by his experience starting and growing successful businesses, opposed giving a blank-check bailout to Wall Street, and voted against all government bailouts.