If you’re a conservative in California, you’ve probably heard of GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley. A few years ago, while Democrat nimrods in the state’s legislature were all competing to see who could come up with a new tax or extreme gender identity law, then-assemblymember Kiley was fighting back and telling the truth about the mess they were making with the Golden State. He served from 2016 to 2022, then was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
While we were sad to see him go, we knew he’d be an effective fighter in Washington, D.C., which is exactly what he has been. Because of that, he became one of the targets of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s grand achievement, the shredding of the state constitution in order to gerrymander the districts with Prop. 50 and perhaps get rid of five GOP seats, including Kiley’s.
But a funny thing happened along the way… Kiley took the bold step of running as an independent in a new district, 06, which includes most of Sacramento — and he’s currently leading the vote count. In the jungle primary system, that would mean that if his lead holds, he would head to a run-off.
Here comes the good part: the second leading vote-getter is also a Republican — Michael Stansfield. If that stays the case, it would ensure that there were no Democrats in the final two, and no Dem could capture the seat.
Wouldn’t that be a hoot? I’d pay to see the look on Newsom’s face.
WOW: A newly redrawn congressional map pushed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom is dangerously close to EXPLODING in Democrats’ faces in CD-6 — as Independent Kevin Kiley and Republican Michael Stansfield are leading the June 2 primary and headed toward a November runoff,… pic.twitter.com/v0rOELk2Py
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) June 3, 2026
WOW: A newly redrawn congressional map pushed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom is dangerously close to EXPLODING in Democrats’ faces in CD-6 — as Independent Kevin Kiley and Republican Michael Stansfield are leading the June 2 primary and headed toward a November runoff, potentially shutting Democrats out entirely.
Amazing…!
Now the bad news: there are plenty more ballots to be counted because of California’s third-world style methods, which ensure that the final tally won’t be available for weeks or even a month. We’ve seen results change dramatically — almost always magically to the benefit of the Democrats — so there’s no guarantee that these numbers will hold up.
MORE: Banana Republic by Mail: Why We Probably Won’t Know Outcomes of CA’s Crucial Primaries for Days
Will California Independent Kevin Kiley Win His Fight?
As our Jennifer Oliver O’Connell wrote earlier Wednesday, Kiley has been a nuisance to Newsom over the years (and that is meant as a compliment):
Kiley has been a thorn in Newsom’s side since 2020, when Kiley was an Assemblyman and sued Newsom for his COVID lockdown policies (and won). Kiley then ran for governor in the 2021 recall election. As petty as he is unctuous, Newsom hatcheted up Kiley’s District 3 and moved the components into two districts: 5 and 6. Kiley chose to run in District 6, which encompasses heavily Democrat voting blocs within Sacramento.
Yesterday, we made history.
Certain politicians think they can move lines around on a map and choose your representative for you. But they forgot one thing. We still get to vote. pic.twitter.com/GXwnIqgOYY
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) June 4, 2026
Even if the dream of having two Republicans in the general in November fails to come to fruition, Kiley still looks to be in good position to get at least one of the slots. Then the race essentially starts all over again, and if a Democrat takes the other, you can be sure that the Dem Machine will fight tooth and nail to defeat Kiley. He’s proven doubters wrong before, though, and wouldn’t it be awesome if he did it again?
It would be a great parting gift to Gavin Newsom, who will mercifully be termed out in January 2027.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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