CA-05: GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley goes independent in longshot bid to stay in Congress

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. MaddowBlog-GOP member becomes an independent, narrowing House Republicans' edge again

With Rep. Kevin Kiley going independent, the House GOP majority is down to 217 votes — in a chamber where 218 is a majority.

When 2026 got underway, there were 220 House Republicans.

Then MTG resigned.

Then Doug LaMalfa died unexpectedly.

Now Kevin Kiley has left the GOP to become an independent, creating a 217-214-1 chamber.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-09T20:07:33.811Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/gop-member-becomes-an-independent-narrowing-the-house-republicans-edge-again

In the House, independent members are quite rare. In fact, in recent years, there are only two examples: former Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan, who left the Republican Party to become an independent in 2020, and former Rep. Justin Amash, another former Michigan Republican who became a Libertarian the same year.

This rarefied company now numbers three. The Hill reported:

Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.) announced Monday that he will formally leave the Republican Party this week to become an independent. […]

‘I will be the sole independent member of the House of Representatives,’ Kiley told reporters Monday during a virtual press conference.

Kiley had already indicated that he intended to run for re-election as an independent, instead of a GOP incumbent, though there have still been questions as to his party affiliation between now and Election Day.....

At that point, the GOP had 218 House members to the Democrats’ 214, which, as a matter of legislative arithmetic, meant Republican leaders could only afford to lose one vote in any major floor fight. But with Kiley becoming an independent, the House Republican majority is now down to 217 votes — in a chamber where 218 is a majority.

To be sure, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana probably isn’t panicking, or at least not any more than usual, for the simple fact that Kiley has vowed to continue to caucus with the GOP (a necessary move to maintain his current committee assignments).

That said, Kiley will likely be looking for new ways to prove his independent bona fides in the coming weeks and months, which suggests Republican leaders shouldn’t count on his support. What’s more, as more members retire or lose primary fights, attendance is likely to make matters even more difficult for GOP leaders hoping to pass anything meaningful between now and the midterm elections.

By any fair measure, 2025 was exceedingly difficult for Johnson and his party. Every day seems to bring fresh reasons to believe 2026 will be worse.