California Rep. Kevin Kiley to leave GOP and register as an independent

WASHINGTON (TNND) — California Rep. Kevin Kiley announced Monday that he would be registering as an independent and leaving the GOP.

During a press call on Monday, he said this was a response to partisanship pushed by gerrymandering, according to the Axios news outlet.

“Since gerrymandering seeks to elevate partisanship above everything else in our politics the best way to counter gerrymandering and its insidious impacts on democracy is simply to take partisanship out of the equation,” the congressman said.

Kiley didn’t promise that he would be a reliable vote for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., adding that he voted against multiple rule votes that typically aline with the GOP.

“If you’re talking about just bringing bills to the floor, I think, generally speaking, I’ve been supportive of that,” he told Axios. “I can’t commit to do that in each and every case, in advance, I think I’ll have to consider every one on its own merits.”

The GOP’s margin in the House has been shrinking over the past few months with members either not running for reelection or resigning.

In January, former Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she was leaving Congress.

Over 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans announced that they would be retiring from the House in 2026, according to PBS.

It was reported by Axios earlier this week that the GOP is trying to get battleground members of Congress like New York Rep. Mike Lawler and Iowa Rep. Zach Nunn to stay in office as midterms approach.