Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) has announced he is ditching the GOP, instead becoming an independent, effective immediately.
“Today, I’m asking the clerk of the US House of Representatives to have that reflected in the official roster,” Axios congressional correspondent Kate Santaliz reported on Monday. Kiley will still caucus with the GOP, meaning the House majority will not change.
NEWS: Kiley says he's leaving the GOP and becoming an Independent IMMEDIATELY
"Today, I'm asking the clerk of the US House of Representatives to have that reflected in the official roster," he said.
He'll caucus with the GOP
— Kate Santaliz (@kate_santaliz) March 9, 2026
If more GOP candidates follow this path before the midterms, it could signal a strategy to distance themselves from national party branding and blunt the risk of a potential blue wave.