After Proposition 50 passed, which sliced up GOP congressional districts in California, Rep. Darrell Issa said he wasn’t leaving.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll continue to represent the people of California — regardless of their party or where they live,” the 72-year-old Republican said in a statement sent to SFGATE after the Nov. 4 vote. “I’m not quitting on California. And neither should anyone else,” he reiterated at the time.

With the passage of Prop. 50, California’s congressional districts are now completely rearranged — and five heavily Republican seats have been changed to favor incoming Democratic challengers. For Issa, who was first elected to Congress in 2001, his post-passage statement was a reflection of how consequential the redistricting ballot measure would be to the longevity of his job.

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Yet despite having insisted he was “not going anywhere” just one month ago, Punchbowl News reported on Monday that Issa is planning to leave California politics –– and is toying with a congressional run in Texas next year instead.

Jonathan Wilcox, a representative for Issa, told SFGATE in an email on Monday evening that he could not confirm Punchbowl’s report, but he left his note on a cliff-hanger.

“We don’t have any news to make tonight — but stay tuned,” he said, adding: “On the record!” 

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The speculation comes as Issa, along with his Republican colleagues, confronts the reality that he could lose his seat. Issa’s district, District 48, was one of five that was redrawn under Prop. 50 to favor Democrats. Whereas the district used to span San Diego and Riverside........

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