Two members of California‘s House delegation are leaving Republican politics after Democrats drew new maps that have put their seats in jeopardy.
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) announced on Friday night that he is running for reelection as an independent this year, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) revealed he is retiring after a more than two-decade career in Congress.
Both decisions, announced shortly before a congressional filing deadline, came in response to a California redistricting push intended to box out several Republican incumbents.
Kiley steps away from GOP
Kiley, a more centrist House Republican, directly blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) for spearheading the effort to draw new maps, part of a tit-for-tat with Republicans in Texas and other states.
“Gerrymandering is a plague on democracy, one that Gavin Newsom has brought back to California. But there’s a way we can fight back and protect our democracy from his partisan games: by removing partisanship from the equation,” Kiley said in a two-minute video posted on X, explaining he filed to run on the ballot without any party affiliation.
The lawmaker noted most offices in California are already nonpartisan, arguing it’s not a stretch for him to do the same. Kiley has in recent months bucked party leadership in the House, criticizing Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) handling of last year’s government shutdown and urging his colleagues to work with Democrats on Obamacare subsidy legislation. He separately urged Johnson to pass a bill clamping down on gerrymandering.
“As an elected representative, I’ve always seen my role as being an independent voice for our community, holding politicians in Sacramento and Washington accountable to serve my constituents,” he continued. “I answer to you, not party leaders. That’s the kind of representation I believe the newly-drawn Sixth District deserves.”
For the moment, Kiley is a member of the Republican House majority, but a spokesperson said on Friday night that his affiliation for the rest of his term “remains up in the air.”
Kiley currently represents California’s 3rd Congressional District, but he decided this week to run for the 6th Congressional District, in part because it’s entirely in Sacramento County, where he grew up.
Proposition 50, a redistricting ballot measure that passed last year, cut his current district into six parts, leaving him with fewer paths to return to Congress next year.
Even though the newly drawn 6th District is “Democratic-leaning,” Kiley said voters there were more “open-minded.” He had considered running in the safely Republican 5th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), but ultimately ruled that out when he announced his reelection bid on Monday.
“While this will be a more challenging race, I believe we can build a winning coalition for common sense,” he wrote on X.
Kiley has been opposed to partisan map-drawing since the redistricting battle started last year, adding in his Friday statement that “both parties are complicit.”
Kiley will face a crowded field that includes former state Sen. Richard Pan and Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho, both of whom are Democrats.
Issa retires again
Issa, who briefly retired in 2018 but has long been a fixture in California politics, said in a lengthy statement on social media that he is giving his “enthusiastic endorsement” to San Diego County Board Supervisor Jim Desmond in his run for Congress.
Issa, who represents California’s 48th Congressional District, will serve out the remainder of his term.
“Jim is not only a personal friend, he’s a true patriot, a Navy veteran, a successful businessman, and has a 20-year record of public service. He understands this community, was born and raised here, and will make a terrific Congressman,” Issa said, adding he didn’t make the decision “lightly.”
Friday’s announcement is a reversal from Issa’s previous commitment in December to run for another term in California. He had reportedly been considering a run in Texas instead.
While he didn’t directly attribute his decision to Proposition 50, the new California maps would have made it more difficult for Issa to win.
KEVIN KILEY TO RUN IN CALIFORNIA’S REDRAWN 6TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Issa said in his statement that while he was confident he could have won again based on polling, he felt it was the “right time for a new chapter and new challenges.” By the time he leaves office in January 2027, he will have served more than 25 years in the House. He is a former chairman of the House Oversight Committee, a panel he used to investigate the Obama administration.
“There is still work to be done throughout 2026 both in Washington and my beloved current 48th District,” Issa wrote, “and as many days that remain, I’ll dedicate each one of them to the people I serve and the indispensable nation I have sworn to protect as a soldier in the Army and as a proud and grateful Member of the People’s House of Representatives.”