Rep. Kevin Kiley, running as an independent in California’s 6th Congressional District, will face Democrat Richard Pan in the November general election after both advanced from the June primary. Kiley narrowly led the primary with 47,165 votes (24.3%), while Pan, a former state senator and physician, secured 45,008 votes (23.2%) to advance to the general election.
Kiley’s decision to leave the Republican Party and run as an independent came directly from redistricting. In March 2026, he announced he was dropping his GOP affiliation, citing frustration with partisan gerrymandering and mid-decade redistricting. His move followed California voters’ approval of Proposition 50 in November 2025, which allowed the state legislature to redraw congressional maps outside the normal redistricting cycle.
The newly redrawn maps under Prop 50 transformed Kiley’s original District 3 from a Republican-leaning seat into a solidly Democratic district. Democrats had deliberately redrawn five California districts to favor their party, according to multiple sources, in direct response to Republican redistricting efforts in Texas and other states. The redrawing forced Kiley to choose between running in a district he could no longer win or seeking a new path.
Kiley had long opposed mid-decade redistricting on principle. In August 2025, he introduced legislation in Congress to ban mid-decade redistricting nationwide, arguing that the practice fueled partisan warfare. His bill would have invalidated the newly approved maps in California and prevented all states from redrawing districts between census cycles. Despite his efforts, the bill did not advance, and Kiley faced the reality of the redrawn map.
By switching to independent status and running in the newly drawn District 6—which remains Democratic-leaning but more competitive than his original seat—Kiley bet that independent voters and his legislative record could overcome the district’s partisan lean. In July, he challenged Pan to a series of five debates, attacking the former state senator’s record on taxes, energy costs, and homelessness. Pan’s campaign countered that voters trusted him to defeat Kiley in the general election.
Kiley’s departure from the GOP also cost him his House committee assignments initially. The House Republican Steering Committee removed him from his seats on Education and the Workforce and Transportation and Infrastructure after he left the party, though he was later reinstated. He continued to caucus with House Republicans despite his independent status.
The race highlights the broader national redistricting war between the parties. When Republicans redrew maps in Texas and other states to gain seats, California Democrats responded with Prop 50, which Super PACs poured millions into California races to oppose progressive candidates, underscoring the high stakes of the redistricting battle. The outcome in California’s 6th District on November 3 will test whether an incumbent can survive a hostile map by abandoning party affiliation.
Sources
- NBC News — California House District 6 primary results showing Kiley’s 24.3% and Pan’s 23.2%
- ABC7 News — Kiley’s March 2026 announcement leaving the Republican Party
- Politico — Kiley filing for reelection as independent in a Democratic-leaning district after redistricting
- AP News — California redistricting as retaliation for Republican maps in Texas
- The Hill — Proposition 50 passage in November 2025 allowing Democratic-controlled legislature to redraw maps
- CAP Radio — Kiley challenging Pan to five debates in July 2026
- KCRA — Kiley’s introduction of legislation to ban mid-decade redistricting nationwide
- RCR Net — Kiley’s reinstatement to congressional committee assignments in April 2026
