Rep. Kevin Kiley announces run in California's redrawn 6th Congressional District

Congressman Kevin Kiley has announced his plan to run in California's newly redrawn 6th district.

In a statement on Monday, Rep. Kiley revealed he had considered running in the 5th District – which could have set up a possible showdown between two current Republican officeholders.

"It's true that I was fully prepared to run in the new 5th, having tested the waters and with polls showing a favorable outlook in a "safe" district. But doing what's easy and what's right are often not the same," Kiley stated.

Kiley currently represents California's 3rd district, which originally comprised counties making up much of the back spine of the state.

As of the Prop. 50 redistricting push, the 3rd district was redrawn for the 2026 midterm election to lean toward the Democratic Party – with those eastern spine of California counties lopped off and more of Sacramento County, including Rancho Cordova, added.

California's new 6th district is now comprised of Rocklin, Roseville, Citrus Heights, much of North and East Sacramento, and the city of West Sacramento. Democratic Rep. Ami Bera currently represents the district, but will be running for the new 3rd district in 2026.

Other declared candidates for the 6th district include Democrats Lauren Babb Thomlinson, Thien Ho, Dr. Richard Pan, Kindra Pring, Tyler Vandenberg, and Republicans Christine Bish, Craig DeLuz, and Raymond Riehle.

In a statement following Kiley's announcement, Dr. Pan called out his new opponent's conservative voting record.

"Kevin Kiley can try to rebrand himself, but voters know his extreme record. He has stood with Donald Trump 98% of the time and was named a 'MAGA Champion.' The people of this district deserve better than political opportunism disguised as moderation," Dr. Pan stated. 

Kiley was first elected to the House in 2022 and was reelected in 2024.