Oceanside —
Col. Doug Applegate, a former candidate for Congress against Rep. Darrell Issa, R-San Marcos, plans to take a run against San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond next year.
Applegate, 67, an attorney and retired Marine colonel, narrowly lost his race against Issa for the 49th Congressional District in 2016. Issa prevailed with 155,888 votes to Applegate’s 154,267, but the close race signaled changing partisan preferences in North County.
Applegate hopes to take advantage of the shift toward Democratic candidates with a challenge to Jim Desmond, the Republican supervisor for county District 5 and a former Mayor of San Marcos.
Applegate said his experience running for Congress gave him insight into the issues and needs of North County communities.