A U.S. representative from Northern California has announced that he is leaving the Republican Party and will instead run in the upcoming election as an independent candidate. Representative Kevin Kelly, who previously represented California's third congressional district, filed to run for a third term as a "no-party preference" candidate, citing his frustration with "the extreme partisanship in Congress" and the recent decision by California voters to redraw electoral districts for the upcoming elections. "Gerrymandering is a disease that threatens our democracy, and Gavin Newsom brought it back to California," Kelly wrote on the X platform. He added, "But there is a way for us to resist and protect our democracy from their games: remove partisanship from the equation." Throughout his last two terms in Washington, Kelly sometimes opposed the Republican Party's agenda, most recently voting with Democrats to overturn a presidential emergency declaration used by Donald Trump to impose tariffs. "It's no secret that I've been frustrated by the extreme partisanship in Congress," he said. "Over the last year, that has led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, a massive increase in healthcare costs, and, of course, a pointless war over redistricting." Kelly requested that the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives officially change his party affiliation from Republican to independent. He also confirmed to CNN that he will continue to work with Republicans, saying, "In terms of how I approach my role here, I am an independent, and I will be an independent voice fighting for our region."
