Congressional Partisanship and Redistricting

Rep. Kevin Kiley announced he is leaving the Republican Party and has re-registered as an independent effective immediately, filing with the House clerk and in California as "no party preference," while saying he will still caucus with Republicans for administrative and committee purposes. The move cuts the GOP to 217 seats versus 214 Democrats — below the 218 majority — further tightening Speaker Mike Johnson’s margin as Kiley, who framed his decision as a protest against gerrymandering and hyper‑partisanship, declined to promise he will be a reliable GOP vote and gave no advance notice to party leadership.