Kevin Kiley leaves GOP and will serve as an independent

Rep. Kevin Kiley of California said Monday that he is leaving the Republican Party and will serve as an independent in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kiley said the change would take place immediately, following a redistricting shake-up that has made his path to reelection more difficult. The two-term congressman said he is asking the House clerk to update the official roster to reflect his new status, though he plans to remain aligned with Republicans for caucus purposes.

Kiley’s decision comes after he announced last week that he would run in a Democratic-leaning district without listing a party affiliation next to his name. By Monday, he told reporters he was making the formal break from the GOP and intended to be recorded as an independent in the House’s official membership list.

“So I will be the sole independent member of the House of Representatives,” Kiley said, according to Politico, as cited by the Associated Press. The AP reported that with Kiley’s move, Republicans would have a 217-214 majority in the House, with one independent member.

Kiley also said he will continue caucusing with Republicans to maintain his committee assignments, according to the AP. The congressman previously looked at multiple options after California’s congressional boundaries were changed last year, including whether to run against fellow Republican Tom McClintock in a more Republican-leaning seat or to take his chance in a district focused around Sacramento.

He ultimately chose to run in the state’s 6th Congressional District, the AP reported. Kiley’s predicament reflects a broader pattern in which incumbents reassess political careers amid shifting lines for House districts, a process Democrats in California responded to after a redistricting fight that began in Texas, at President Donald Trump’s urging, the AP said.

The AP said Kiley would be the only independent in the House after his switch. It noted that the last independent to serve in the House was Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, who dropped his Republican affiliation in 2019.