Matthew James Dale

The Closest Race of 2016 Matthew James Dale

National, state, and local politics combined to have a much more significant impact on California's 49th Congressional District in 2016 than any other congressional district. The Republican incumbent, Darrell Issa, had been a high-profile critic of President Obama during his time as chairman of the House Oversight Committee. After Donald Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination, Congressman Issa associated himself early and often with the candidate. The Democratic challenger, Colonel Doug Applegate, was a first-time candidate for elected office and politically more aligned with Senator Bernie Sanders than Hillary Clinton. It was also the closest House race in the country that year. This book will examine the district, the campaign strategies, and the issues that influenced them. Both candidates' connection to the district and national political movements impacted their standing with the voters in the district, and donors nationwide. Mythologies of the election are identified and evaluated. The timeline of events starts December 5th, 2014, the day Congressman Issa declared his candidacy, and ends December 2nd, 2016, the day Colonel Applegate conceded the race.