Representative Kevin Kiley has resigned from the Republican Party to become the House’s sole independent, further narrowing Speaker Mike Johnson’s voting margin amid ongoing redistricting battles in California.
In a significant blow to the Republican conference, Representative Kevin Kiley of California announced Monday, March 9, 2026, that he is leaving the GOP to become an independent, effective immediately. The move, which Kiley attributed to his frustration with the “epidemic of gerrymandering” and a desire to better represent a district redrawn to favor Democrats, reduces Speaker Mike Johnson’s already precarious majority to 217 seats against 214 Democrats.
While Kiley confirmed he will continue to caucus with Republicans for “administrative purposes,” such as committee assignments, he emphasized his new status as an “independent voice fighting for our district” and noted he had already demonstrated a willingness to cross party lines on high-profile issues like presidential tariff authorities. Despite his continued affiliation with the GOP caucus, Kiley pointedly refused to commit to voting with the leadership next term if re-elected, stating, “I approach, you know, every vote with, you know, a mind towards how it’s going to impact the folks that I represent.”
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