Rep. Kevin Kiley to become sole independent member in the US House

Mathew Miranda, The Sacramento Bee on Mar 9, 2026

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Rep. Kevin Kiley of California is set to become sole independent in the House.

Kiley, a Republican, said Monday morning that he would ask the clerk in the U.S. House of Representatives to officially designate him an independent for the reminder of his term. The move comes days after Kiley filed for reelection as a “No Party Preference” and will make him one of only three independent members in Congress. The two other members are in the Senate.

He attributed the change to his frustration with “partisanship” and the ways it is “weakening the country.”

“The redistricting war and the gerrymandering epidemic that has spread across the country and an upended representation in our state is kind of the ultimate manifestation of that, but I see it manifest itself day in and day out in Washington, D.C., and I think it’s actually worse than a lot of people even realize,” Kiley, 41, said at virtual news conference.

His decision is the latest fallout of Proposition 50, which redrew the state’s congressional map in an effort to oust him and other Republicans. Kiley, who unsuccessfully pleaded with his party to stop mid-decade redistricting, was left with a district that has leaned heavily Democratic in recent elections.

Kiley said he would continue caucusing with the Republican Party, per the House administrative rules, but would approach the role as an independent. He added he did not talk to Republican leadership about his decision though he connected with Speaker Mike Johnson over the weekend about the “administrative part of caucusing.”

He did not commit to voting with the Republican Party on procedural moves for the reminder of the term and noted his recent votes that broke with GOP leadership. He stated a general desire to procedurally vote in favor of bringing bills to the House floor.

“I’ll have to consider everyone on its own merits,” Kiley said. “But I’m all for giving people the opportunity to vote their conscience.”

Kiley had provided signals of a shift to the political center in the past few months.

Last fall, he spent weeks voicing frustration after Johnson refused to bring forward floor legislation to prohibit mid-decade redistricting across the country. In December, Kiley continued his criticism of Johnson during Congress discussions over health care subsidies. At one point, he accused Johnson of lying about negotiations. Kiley, 41, furthered his defection last month by siding with Democrats to block a procedural maneuver that shielded Trump’s tariff agenda from votes.

Last week, Kiley announced he would run in the left-leaning 6th District which encompasses parts of West Sacramento, Natomas, East Sacramento and Citrus Heights, Roseville and Rocklin. Several political experts have said Kiley must appeal to a broader base of voters to increase his slim chances of winning.

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