GOP lawmaker says he’s leaving the Republican Party and will serve as an independent

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Kevin Kiley of California said Monday that he’s dropping his Republican Party affiliation and will serve as an independent, a change he said will take place immediately.

The two-term congressman faces a tough reelection battle following the redrawing of the state’s congressional boundaries. On Friday, he announced he would be running in a Democratic-leaning district without listing a party affiliation next to his name.

Kiley followed that decision up on Monday by telling reporters that he was asking the House clerk to reflect his change to independent in the House’s official roster, though he will still caucus with Republicans to maintain his committee assignments.

“So I will be the sole independent member of the House of Representatives,” Politico quoted Kiley as saying.

With Kiley’s move, Republicans will have a 217-214 majority in the House, with one independent. The last independent to serve in the House was Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, who dropped his Republican affiliation in 2019.

Kiley had looked at an array of options after his district’s boundaries were dramatically changed last year. In recent weeks, he was studying whether to run against fellow Republican Tom McClintock in a Republican stronghold or to take his chance in a Democratic-leading district focused in the Sacramento area. He opted for the latter and will be running in the state’s 6th Congressional District.

Kiley’s predicament is an example of how the redistricting war that began in Texas, at President Donald Trump’s urging, and drew a swift counter response from Democrats in California, has left some incumbents scrambling to salvage their political careers.