Mike Schaefer has lost roughly 33 elections over 50 years.
The California Democrat has reportedly been disbarred in two states, convicted of spousal abuse, and ordered to pay nearly $2 million to tenants who lived in apartments overrun with rats and sewage.
Now Gavin Newsom's gerrymandering scheme just handed him a shot at Congress.
Schaefer Files For Darrell Issa's Redrawn District
California voters approved Proposition 50 in November, temporarily handing redistricting power back to Democrat politicians.
The new maps redrew boundaries to flip five Republican seats.
Southern California's 48th Congressional District went from a 12-point Republican advantage to a 4-point Democrat lead overnight.
Republican Darrell Issa currently holds the seat.
On Tuesday, Schaefer filed from a Las Vegas address to challenge Issa in the now-competitive district.
The octogenarian is 87 years old.
This Guy's Rap Sheet Reads Like A Crime Novel
Schaefer started as a Republican before flipping Democrat around 2004.
He ran for office roughly 33 times across California, Nevada, Maryland, and Arizona.
Most were spectacular failures — 0.98% for San Diego mayor in 1971, 2.5% in a Nevada congressional primary in 2016.
Then came his shock 2018 win for the California State Board of Equalization at age 80.
He beat a Republican state senator in a late upset and got re-elected in 2022 with his party's endorsement.
Now he's termed out and eyeing Congress.
Democrats Knew Exactly Who They Were Endorsing
In 2001, Schaefer was disbarred in both California and Nevada for serious ethics violations.
The Nevada Supreme Court cited directly contacting represented parties without permission, submitting false affidavits, trying to influence witness testimony, and showing blatant disregard for court orders.
He appealed multiple times through 2014.
Every appeal failed.
In the 1980s, a jury slammed him as a "millionaire slumlord."
That 1986 Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded his former tenants $1.83 million — a record at the time — after finding he let a 64-unit building become overrun with rats, cockroaches, and sewage backups that caved in ceilings and floors.
Schaefer owned the property for just eight months in 1981.
He blamed gangs for blocking improvements.
The Spousal Abuse Conviction Democrats Ignored
In 1993, Schaefer was convicted of misdemeanor spousal abuse.
He later served jail time for violating probation terms tied to the case.
By 2013, actor Brad Garrett from Everybody Loves Raymond secured a restraining order against Schaefer in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Garrett accused Schaefer of stalking and harassment after a dispute over a complimentary show ticket at the MGM Grand.
The permanent order forced Schaefer to stay 100 feet away from Garrett and banned him from the MGM Grand entirely.
The court cited Schaefer's history of violence and erratic behavior.
Democrats endorsed him anyway for re-election in 2022.
Supreme Court Handed Democrats Their Gerrymandering Victory
Republicans quickly filed suit against the new maps, alleging they were drawn to favor Hispanic voters in violation of federal voting rights law.
The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled on February 4 that the maps would be upheld.
Newsom celebrated the decision, claiming Trump "started this redistricting war" and would "lose again in November."
Republicans argued Prop 50 was an illegal racial gerrymander supported by 64% of California voters.
But the Supreme Court's conservative majority already ruled in 2019 that judges can't determine partisan gerrymandering as long as districts have equal numbers of eligible voters.
Trump had pushed Texas Republicans to redraw their districts to gain five House seats.
California Democrats responded by doing exactly the same thing.
The Supreme Court let both stand.
This Is What California Democrats Call "Fair And Independent"
Schaefer joins a handful of other Democrats hoping to win CA-48.
Issa is running for re-election in November.
When some Democrats protested Schaefer's 2022 re-election endorsement, the party shrugged.
The San Diego County Young Democrats and San Diego Democrats for Equality both rated Schaefer as "unacceptable."
They called his 2018 election "a fluke that brought shame to our party."
California Democratic Party chairman Eric Bauman said they "try to support all good Democrats who are in office."
Apparently "good Democrat" now includes disbarred lawyers, slumlords, and wife-beaters.
As long as they help flip Republican seats.
Gavin Newsom's redistricting scheme was sold as a response to Texas Republicans.
What it actually delivered was a Congressional candidate with a criminal record, multiple disbarments, and a restraining order from a sitcom star.
The new maps remain in place through 2030, after which the Citizens Redistricting Commission takes over again.
Until then, California Democrats will keep defending this as "fair and independent" redistricting.
Sources:
- Hailey Gomez, "California Redistricting Might Help Octogenarian Wife-Beating Slumlord Democrat Have Shot At Congress," Daily Caller, February 12, 2026.
- Michael Cabanatuan, "He's been convicted, disbarred and called a slumlord. Now he's endorsed by the California Democratic Party," San Francisco Chronicle, March 8, 2022.
- Amy Howe, "Supreme Court allows California to use congressional map benefitting Democrats," SCOTUSblog, February 4, 2026.
- "Governor Newsom on Republicans losing challenge to new Congressional maps at U.S. Supreme Court," Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, February 4, 2026.
- "After Prop. 50, San Diego may lose its only Republican in Congress as Democrats target Issa," CalMatters, November 21, 2025.
- "Mike Schaefer," Wikipedia, September 11, 2025.
