Dr. Richard Pan Kicks Off General Election Campaign to Put California Families First

A pediatrician, educator, and former State Senator, Pan knows what it means to put Californians first: from fighting to make health care more affordable, to standing up for science and public health, to pushing back against MAGA extremism, Pan has a proven track record of delivering for his constituents.

While ‘MAGA Champion’ Kevin Kiley tries to lie to California voters about his Republican loyalty and 98% voting record with Donald Trump, Dr. Pan is focused on the needs of hardworking California families.

• Former Democratic state Sen. Richard Pan’s Tuesday morning news conference underscored what will be a central message of his November campaign: portraying his opponent, newly independent Rep. Kevin Kiley, as a staunch Republican loyal to President Donald Trump.
• “Kevin Kiley clearly is trying to obfuscate who he is, what he stands for with the voters, and we’ll be sure to remind people to look through that obfuscation,” Pan said outside the California Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento.
• [Kiley] later earned an endorsement from Trump, who called Kiley a “MAGA champion.” In Congress, Kiley has largely voted with the Republican Party including for last year’s controversial H.R. 1 better known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
• Even after he dropped his GOP affiliation, Kiley has continued to draw major campaign contributions from Republican groups. Some of the largest donations came from a political action committee led by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
• “Kevin Kiley has consistently shown he’ll put the interests of himself and Donald Trump above the interests of Californians,” said Fabrizio Sasso, executive director of the Sacramento Central Labor Council, on Tuesday.
• Pan, a Harvard-trained pediatrician, is also hoping to hold Kiley accountable for his record on healthcare.
• “My North Star is the health and well-being of the people of the 6th District,” Pan said.
• On Tuesday, he repeatedly pointed to Kiley’s vote on H.R. 1 which will lead to millions of Americans losing their healthcare coverage according to several nonpartisan organizations. Pan made national headlines during his time in Legislature for leading the state’s efforts to toughen school vaccine requirements.

• The race for California’s Congressional District 6 is a “priority race” for Democrats. That is according to Dr. Richard Pan, the Democrat who appears headed to the Nov. 3 general election against incumbent Kevin Kiley, I-Rocklin.
• Speaking at a press conference Tuesday outside the California Democratic Party office in Sacramento, Pan said that, as a doctor, he has devoted his life to protecting the life and safety of the region’s families. Now, Pan said, he is running for Congress to improve lives and make government work for people.
• “Kevin Kiley chose a different path,” said Pan, who is also an educator, small business owner and former state senator for the Sacramento region. “As a career politician, Kiley first ran for Congress in 2022, taking extreme positions on immigration, voting rights, public health and earned Trump’s endorsement as his MAGA champion.”
• “Now his families here in the 6th District struggle with the increasing cost of food, gas above $6 a gallon, and draconian cuts to their healthcare,” said Pan. “These are the results of Kevin Kiley’s unquestioning support of Donald Trump’s extremist Project 2025 agenda.”
• Pan added that “Kevin Kiley is hoping voters forget what he’s done to them to pursue his own personal ambitions and Trump’s Republican Party,” but Pan is not buying that Kiley is going to be an independent voice.
• “The Republican leadership continued to help support and finance his campaign, and the chair of the California Republican Party recently called Kevin Kiley a Republican at his core,” said Pan. “He will say whatever he needs to keep himself in office.”

• “We need to restore the balance of power in the federal government.”
• “The founders of this country…wrote the constitution so there’s a balance of power. They weren’t talking about political parties when they said balance of [power], but they were counting on members of Congress willing to hold the president accountable when the president basically was going beyond the powers that were enumerated in the constitution.”
• “This Congress, including Kevin Kiley…has been unwilling to truly challenge the president when he commits things like trying to challenge a free and fair election here in this country.”
• “That’s a problem. Our constitution counts on us – the people and our elected leaders – to actually look out for it. Otherwise it’s just a piece of paper.”

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