Republican Congressman Turned Independent Now Says He's Open to Caucusing With Dems

"For the remainder of this term, yes, because that is the way the rules are set up right now is that essentially to be a fully functioning member of the House, you have to caucus with one of the two parties. And since that's how I was elected at the beginning of this term, I think that makes sense."

"In practice, it actually is a reflection of the way I've generally approached my job, is that, regardless of my party label I've always said I'm going to be an independent voice for my district. And sometimes I voted with Republican leadership. Other times I've gone against what the rest of our party did on particular issues because I've always said that I answer to my constituents as opposed to party leaders in Washington, D.C."

Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) recently left the Republican Party to become an Independent after his district was redrawn through California's mid-decade gerrymandering effort. During an interview on SiriusXM's Straight Shooter, Kiley explained that he will continue caucusing with Republicans for the remainder of his current term because House rules require members to align with one of the two major parties to function effectively. However, he indicated openness to caucusing with Democrats if reelected. Kiley lost his committee assignments following his party switch but hopes to regain them. He characterized his independence as reflecting his longstanding approach of prioritizing constituent interests over party loyalty, voting with or against Republican leadership based on individual issues rather than party directives.

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