Rep. Kevin Kiley, who left the Republican Party earlier this year to protest gerrymandering, is projected to lose his bid for a third term in California's newly drawn 6th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ. Democrat Richard Pan, a physician and former state senator, defeated Kiley by nearly 15 percentage points, ending the congressman's two-term tenure in the House.
Kiley conceded the race Wednesday morning, confirming he had called Pan to congratulate him on his victory. In a social media post, Kiley wrote: "I spoke with Richard Pan and congratulated him on being elected to represent the 6th District. I'm proud of our campaign and grateful for the amazing support of so many people. Thank you for believing California is worth fighting for."
The defeat caps a tumultuous cycle for Kiley, who currently represents the 3rd District but chose to run in the 6th after California's mid-decade redistricting scrambled the state's congressional map. The redrawn 6th, which includes parts of the Sacramento area, was rated "solid Democratic" by the Cook Political Report, making Kiley's path to victory steep from the start.
Kiley emerged as one of the most outspoken opponents of mid-decade redistricting, a practice that gained national attention after Texas Republicans passed a new map designed to add five GOP seats. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom backed Proposition 50, a ballot measure that allowed the state to temporarily adopt new boundaries favoring Democrats. Voters approved it in November 2025.
Kiley, a longtime critic of Newsom, called gerrymandering "a plague on our democracy" and warned that his old district would be carved into six pieces under the new map. He introduced legislation to ban the practice nationwide and launched a discharge petition in May to force a House vote, but the effort stalled.
In March, Kiley announced he was leaving the GOP to become an Independent, citing his opposition to redistricting efforts in both Republican- and Democratic-led states. He later said he would not caucus with House Republicans in the next Congress if reelected and pushed for rule changes to allow independents to serve on committees without party affiliation.
The race in the 6th District was one of several California contests shaped by the redistricting fight. Elsewhere, Democrat Von Wilpert flipped the 48th District, and McGuire flipped the 1st District, underscoring the political fallout from the new map.
Kiley's defeat adds to a broader pattern of Democratic gains in the midterms, though his loss was not unexpected given the district's lean. His departure from the GOP and subsequent independent run made him a unique figure in the House, and his absence will be felt in debates over redistricting reform.
