\u201cGerrymandering is a plague on democracy, one that Gavin Newsom has brought back to California,\u201d Kiley said Friday in a post on X<\/a>. \u201cBut there\u2019s a way we can fight back and protect our democracy from his partisan games: by removing partisanship from the equation.\u201d<\/p>\n Kiley, a longtime registered Republican, framed his \u201cNo Party Preference\u201d decision as a way to be an \u201cindependent voice\u201d for his community. He equated the filing to other local office holders including mayors, school board members, county supervisors and sheriffs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ordinary rituals of partisan politics are simply inadequate in these extraordinary times,\u201d Kiley said.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s filing is Kiley\u2019s latest shift to the middle.<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019s Proposition 50 dramatically reshaped his current seat \u2014 in the 3rd District \u2014 into more Democratic-friendly territory.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n