Washington saw another political curveball this week after California Congressman Kevin Kiley announced he is leaving the Republican Party and switching his affiliation to independent. The move immediately makes Kiley the only independent member currently serving in the House of Representatives, although he says he will still caucus with Republicans in order to keep his committee assignments.
Kiley, who represents California’s 3rd Congressional District, said his decision was driven largely by frustration with the increasingly toxic political climate in Washington and what he described as rampant gerrymandering across the country. According to Kiley, both parties share responsibility for turning congressional redistricting into a political arms race.
“It is no secret I’ve been frustrated, at times disgusted, by the hyper-partisanship in Congress,” Kiley said while explaining his decision. He argued that the constant political warfare has produced real consequences for Americans, including prolonged government shutdowns and policy gridlock.
Kiley specifically pointed to the recent redistricting battle in California as a major factor behind his move. Voters in the state approved Proposition 50, a controversial measure backed by Governor Gavin Newsom that redrew congressional maps ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. The new map effectively eliminated five Republican-held districts and dramatically reshaped several others.
Even though Republicans received roughly 42 percent of the vote in California during the 2024 presidential election, projections now show the party controlling only four congressional seats in the state after the changes take effect.
The redistricting also split Kiley’s current district, which includes parts of Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado counties along the California-Nevada border. The map scattered those communities across several newly drawn districts, leaving the congressman without a clear path to run again in the same territory.
Rather than pursue a safer seat, Kiley announced he will run in the newly created 6th Congressional District. The district includes cities such as Roseville, Rocklin, and Orangevale, areas where he says many of his longtime supporters still live.
Kiley acknowledged that the race will be challenging. According to election data from California Target Book, the district leans left. In fact, the numbers suggest former Vice President Kamala Harris would have carried the district by more than six percentage points during the 2024 presidential election.
Despite that uphill climb, Kiley says running in the 6th District allows him to remain connected to the communities he has represented throughout his political career.
His voting record in Congress has often reflected a somewhat independent streak. While he generally voted with Republicans, conservative advocacy group Heritage Action gave him a 62 percent score for the 118th Congress, below the typical rating for GOP lawmakers.
Kiley has also clashed with Republican leadership on several occasions, including publicly criticizing House Speaker Mike Johnson during last year’s government shutdown dispute.
Now running as an independent, Kiley may hope the new label broadens his appeal with moderate voters in a district that leans Democrat. At the same time, his decision adds another wrinkle to the already tight balance of power in the House.
The primary election for the seat is scheduled for June 2, 2026, and the race is already shaping up to be one of the more closely watched contests in California.
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