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Kiley Leaves GOP to Become House’s Only Independent, Squeezing Johnson’s Margin

Kiley cites gerrymandering‑fueled partisanship as his reason for the switch.

Overview

  • Rep. Kevin Kiley said his change takes effect immediately and asked the House clerk to list him as an independent.
  • He will continue to caucus with Republicans for administrative and committee purposes for the rest of this term.
  • The formal House tally now stands at 217 Republicans, 214 Democrats and one independent, tightening Speaker Mike Johnson’s vote count on party‑line measures.
  • Kiley filed to run for California’s newly drawn 6th District as a “No Party Preference” candidate after Prop 50’s mid‑decade redistricting reshaped his current seat toward Democrats.
  • He declined to guarantee support for GOP procedural votes, noted past breaks with leadership, and said he briefly spoke with Johnson over the weekend after announcing the move without prior notice.