LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 Just three months after declaring \u201cI\u2019m not quitting,\u201d California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa announced Friday he is retiring instead of facing a difficult reelection campaign in a redrawn district.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the right time for a new chapter and new challenges,\u201d Issa said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cServing in Congress has been the honor of my life.\u201d <\/p>\n
Issa, a car alarm magnate considered one of the wealthiest members of Congress, had been a chief antagonist for President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while he served as chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, from 2011 to early 2015.<\/p>\n
Issa\u2019s abrupt reversal injects more uncertainty in the race for Southern California\u2019s 48th District, which was drastically reshaped in November after voters approved a new U.S. House map<\/a> for California to favor Democrats. <\/p>\n With an incumbent out of the running, it may be harder for Republicans to hold the seat and, by extension, the party\u2019s fragile majority in the House. <\/p>\n After redistricting, Issa flirted with the idea of leaving California to run for Congress in Texas. But at the time he decided to stay put in his home state. <\/p>\n \u201cI can hold this seat. I\u2019m not quitting on California and neither should anyone else,\u201d Issa, who represents a district anchored in San Diego County, said in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n California\u2019s new congressional map, which was spearheaded by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, is intended to tip as many as five Republican-held seats to Democrats this year to offset President Donald Trump\u2019s push in Texas<\/a> to gain five seats for his party there. <\/p>\n