Rep. Kevin Kiley filed for re-election as an independent Friday, the latest move to the center as he seeks to broaden his appeal in a district that leans Democratic.
His filing follows Monday’s announcement that he would run in California’s newly drawn 6th Congressional District. Kiley had to pivot from running his current district after Proposition 50 redrew the state’s congressional map in an effort to oust him and other Republicans.
“Gerrymandering is a plague on democracy, one that Gavin Newsom has brought back to California,” Kiley said Friday in a post on X. “But there’s a way we can fight back and protect our democracy from his partisan games: by removing partisanship from the equation.”
Kiley, a longtime registered Republican, framed his “No Party Preference” decision as a way to be an “independent voice” for his community. He equated the filing to other local office holders including mayors, school board members, county supervisors and sheriffs.
“The ordinary rituals of partisan politics are simply inadequate in these extraordinary times,” Kiley said.
Friday’s filing is Kiley’s latest shift to the middle.
In recent months, he has emerged as one of the few House Republicans willing to publicly break with GOP leadership. The moves come after California’s Proposition 50 dramatically reshaped his current seat — in the 3rd District — into more Democratic-friendly territory.
Kiley had spent the last two months publicly eliminating potential congressional districts to run in. On Monday, 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. He will face off against a crowded field of Democratic contenders including West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho, former California state Sen. Richard Pan and Planned Parenthood leader Lauren Babb Tomlinson.
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Mathew Miranda is a political reporter for The Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Bureau, covering how decisions in Washington, D.C., affect the lives of Californians. He is a proud son of Salvadoran immigrants and earned degrees from Chico State and UC Berkeley.