By California Rep. Kevin Kiley announced Monday that he will leave the Republican Party and register as an independent, a move that will make him the only member of the U.S. House without a major party affiliation for the remainder of the current congressional term.
Kiley revealed the decision during a virtual press conference with reporters, saying he plans to formally notify the House clerk of his change in party status. “I will be the sole independent member of the House of Representatives,” he stated. “We’re going to be submitting the letter to the clerk today.”
The switch comes just weeks after Kiley declared that he intends to run for reelection in November’s midterm elections as an independent. Because of newly redrawn district boundaries in California, he will now compete in the state’s 6th Congressional District, where he faces Democratic incumbent Ami Bera. Political analysts currently rate the district as strongly favoring Democrats.
Although the move symbolically narrows the House Republican majority led by Speaker Mike Johnson, the practical impact inside the Capitol appears limited. Kiley indicated he will continue caucusing with Republicans for administrative purposes, a step that preserves his committee assignments with the approval of GOP leadership.
He also signaled that his legislative voting behavior is unlikely to shift dramatically. “I’ll have to consider every one on its own merits, but I’m all for giving people the opportunity to vote their conscience,” Kiley said.
According to the congressman, he did not consult leaders in either party before deciding to change his affiliation. However, he did discuss the procedural aspects of the move with Johnson during a brief conversation over the weekend.
Kiley said his decision was largely driven by growing frustration with the intensifying national battle over congressional redistricting. Lawmakers in both Republican- and Democratic-controlled states have pursued mid-decade map changes designed to secure partisan advantages ahead of the 2026 elections.
In California, voters approved a ballot measure backed by Governor Gavin Newsom that redrew the state’s congressional districts. Democrats across the country have been pretending that their redistricting efforts are about “fairness” when in reality it’s just a power grab, as Democrats in Virginia have shown.
It’s honest to god fraudulent to pair this ballot language with the reality of this exceptionally partisan map. How can people be expected to understand what they’re voting on?
“Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new… pic.twitter.com/XXR8GD5Li9
— Corie Whalen (@CorieWhalen) March 7, 2026
Kiley currently represents California’s 3rd Congressional District but is running in the newly configured 6th District following the boundary changes. He framed his departure from the Republican Party as a protest against what he sees as the corrosive effects of gerrymandering.
“I reached the decision that, since gerrymandering seeks to elevate partisanship above everything else in our politics and governance — seeks to make it the sum and substance of our politics — then the best way to counter gerrymandering and its insidious impacts on democracy is simply to take partisanship out of the equation,” Kiley said.
Looking ahead, the congressman said his future caucus alignment could change depending on the outcome of the November election. “The appropriate posture as an independent is to say I’m going to do whatever serves my constituents,” he explained. “That’s a decision I’ll make at the time.”
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