California Congressman Kevin Kiley announced Monday he has withdrawn from the Republican Party and will register as an independent — effective immediately.
Kiley stated he will continue caucusing with House Republicans for administrative purposes but will not pledge support for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. The move reduces Johnson’s already narrow majority in the House.
Kiley said he spoke with Johnson over the weekend about his decision but did not inform Republican leadership before announcing Friday that he would seek reelection without party affiliation.
Kiley plans to run for another term as an independent following California redistricting, which moved him into California’s 6th Congressional District—a district political analysts describe as strongly Democratic. Kiley was first elected to Congress in 2022 and previously represented California’s 3rd Congressional District.
In his announcement Friday, Kiley criticized the growing partisanship he attributed to redistricting. “Gerrymandering is a plague on democracy,” Kiley wrote in a social media post announcing he had filed for reelection as “no party preference.” “It is one that Gavin Newsom has brought back to California.”
Kiley emphasized his role as representing constituents independently of party leadership: “I answer to you, not party leaders.” The representative has previously expressed frustration with partisan divisions in Congress and has at times broken with House Republican leadership. He has voted against several procedural rule votes that often divide along party lines.
Kiley also criticized the political climate in Washington, stating: “If there is one thing Americans agree on, it is that political division has become a serious problem for our country.” Campaign finance filings show Kiley raised approximately $2.1 million for his reelection campaign as of 2025. The Cook Political Report currently rates Kiley’s district as solidly Democratic.
