Ex-Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley (NPP-CA) (Photo: Screen capture)
Over the weekend, Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley (CA) announced he was switching parties to be an independent, denouncing the new California redistricting operation that would draw him out of his congressional seat. He announced, however, that he was making the change "immediately," which is a new detail.
"Today, I filed for reelection as 'No Party Preference.' This means I will not have a party affiliation on the ballot or as an officeholder. That’s how it already is with most offices in our state: mayors, city councilors, school board members, county supervisors, sheriffs, and DAs are all nonpartisan," he wrote on X.
After the video went live, Axios reported that his staff said it wasn't a "done deal" yet. But on Monday, it appeared it was.
As some in the comments asked, "Will you still caucus with the Republicans? Then shut up."
Indeed, Kiley will caucus with Republicans for “administrative purposes” for “the remainder of this term," he claimed.
It puts the current ranking of the House at 217 Republicans, 214 Democrats and Kiley, who will presumably be considered an Independent.
There hasn't been an independent in the House since Rep. Justin Amash, who left the GOP in 2019, noted his libertarian slant when he left the party. He then briefly ran for president. He ran for U.S. Senate in Michigan, but as a Republican again. He lost in the primary.
Gerrymandering is a plague on democracy, one that Gavin Newsom has brought back to California. But there’s a way we can fight back and protect our democracy from his partisan games: by removing partisanship from the equation. Today, I filed for reelection as “No Party… pic.twitter.com/OhGDzKtPEp
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) March 7, 2026