Kiley, a Republican-turned-independent, set to fight for political life in California House race

Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.), a former Republican, is set for a showdown in November against a Democratic challenger, Decision Desk HQ has projected.

Shortly before 8 p.m. EDT, Kiley had garnered 24.53 percent of the vote, while Democrat Richard Pan, a doctor and small business owner, had garnered 23.21 percent, per DDHQ. Pan and Kiley will now face off in November for California’s 6th Congressional District.

In March, Kiley, who currently represents California’s 3rd Congressional District, announced that he would formally leave the Republican Party to become an independent. Before that, he had announced that he would make a reelection bid in the midterms as an independent.

Kiley has said his decision to leave the GOP was based in his disgust with the gerrymandering battle that’s raging around the country, with legislators in red and blue states racing to redraw their maps for partisan advantage in the midterms.

Kiley, the singular independent in the lower chamber, is also scrambling to stay in Congress in the wake of a California decision to switch up the House map before the midterms. The new congressional lines are expected to net up to five additional seats for Democrats next Congress.

“This will be a choice between the extreme partisan policies that have made California the most unaffordable state in the country, and the independent leadership that allows our local communities to thrive in spite of the state’s failures,” Kiley said in a post on the social platform X on Saturday.

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Kevin Kiley

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