To: Interested Parties
From: Anna Elsasser
Date: June 9, 2026
Subject: The Case Against Kevin Kiley
Kevin Kiley is a phony. He wants voters to believe he’s an independent, but his cynical act is a sham meant to trick voters who do not share his values into sending him back to Congress. No party registration change can erase a career spent as one of Donald Trump’s most loyal allies.
Kiley built his career as a hardline MAGA extremist, earning Trump’s personal endorsement as a “MAGA champion,” voting with Trump’s agenda 98% of the time, backing extremist Republican leadership, and rubber-stamping policies that gut health care, freedoms, and economic security for California families. Now, facing a D+5 district created by Proposition 50, Kiley is attempting a political rebrand that will fall flat, as he continues to vote in lockstep with Trump and his party bosses in Congress.
Dr. Richard Pan offers a stark contrast. A pediatrician, educator, and former State Senator who has represented much of this district, Pan has spent his career fighting to make health care more affordable, protecting children and families, and standing up for science and public health. When anti-vaccine extremists like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and conspiracy theorists targeted him for protecting California children, Pan refused to back down. He has built a career delivering results, not chasing political opportunism and partisan headlines.
The contrast is simple: Kevin Kiley is trying to hide his record. Dr. Richard Pan is running on his.
Kevin Kiley is Bankrolled by His Extreme MAGA Party Bosses
Kiley has been bankrolled by Trump-aligned groups, Republican leadership PACs, and MAGA donors throughout his political career, and now is no different. Over the last two election cycles into this year, Kiley received at least $416,000 from Trump, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, and GOP-affiliated groups. Even after changing his party registration, Kiley continued relying on the same Republican machine. In the first quarter of 2026, he raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from Speaker Mike Johnson and Grow the Majority PAC, and nearly $65,000 from his fellow extreme MAGA Republican members of Congress.
It’s no surprise why. After changing his party registration, Kiley hedged, dodged and weaved, before finally admitting he still supports the Republican agenda and said he plans to continue caucusing with Republicans in Congress, before walking that back and offering vague answers about his future plans. Incongruent flip flops all designed to keep his coffers open and keep begging for big MAGA money, and it shows in his votes in Congress. He voted as recently as last week to continue rubber stamping Trump’s war of choice in Iran.
Kevin Kiley Voted to Gut Health Care and Raise Costs
As California families struggle with rising costs on their health care, Kevin Kiley has repeatedly sided with Washington Republicans and special interests over the people he represents.
Kiley voted for Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill which guts health care for over 29,000 people he currently represents and has already begun kicking millions off of food assistance nationally, including cuts to 24,000 households in his current district. Kiley also voted against extending ACA tax credits, a move estimated to increase annual costs over $1,000 in Sacramento, Yolo, and Placer counties for middle-income families and has already priced nearly 400,000 Californians out of their coverage. In contrast, Dr. Pan authored legislation to provide state financial assistance for families purchasing coverage on Covered California, resulting in lower average premiums, led bills that helped reduce the uninsured rate among Californians by two-thirds, and led efforts that provided health coverage to more than 65,000 kids across California.
This pattern is nothing new for Kiley. In 2024, he was a lead architect of a Republican budget proposal that would raise the retirement age for Social Security and shift additional Medicare costs onto seniors. And in 2020, before taking thousands of dollars from pharmaceutical interests, Kiley was one of just seven Assembly members to oppose legislation lowering prescription drug costs. Meanwhile, in the State Senate, Dr. Pan fought to bring down prescription drug costs, passed legislation to help families afford housing and groceries, and worked to protect patients and consumers from greedy corporations. In Congress, he will prioritize making life more affordable.
Kevin Kiley’s Extreme Record is Out of Step with California
Kevin Kiley has compiled one of the most extreme records in Congress, putting him far outside the mainstream of CA-06 voters. As Trump peddles his latest extreme and blatant attempt to cast doubt on California’s elections, 2020 election denier Kevin Kiley has refused to denounce Trump’s false claims.
On reproductive freedom, Kiley called the overturning of Roe v. Wade the “appropriate decision,” opposed protections for abortion rights enshrined by voters in California, and has consistently supported efforts to restrict and criminalize abortion access – earning him perfect marks from extreme anti-abortion groups. Despite California voters overwhelmingly supporting reproductive freedom, Kiley has spent his career advancing an anti-choice agenda and endangering the rights of California women.
Kiley has also repeatedly put partisan politics ahead of accountability. On Trump’s forever war of choice in Iran, he voted four separate times to let Trump spend billions of taxpayer dollars on his war and make Californians pay the price of the war’s costs as their gas prices skyrocket.
Kiley has also long bended the knee to Trump on extreme immigration policies wreaking havoc on California communities. He introduced legislation to make it harder for Californians to exercise their First Amendment rights to protest ICE’s overreach, and opposed a bill prohibiting cooperation with ICE raiding private workplaces without a warrant. In supporting the Big, Ugly Bill, he cut health care funding while funneling massive amounts of spending to ICE. His constituents protested outside Kiley’s Rocklin office over the bill’s health care cuts, but that fell on deaf ears and they were ignored by Kiley and his staff.
Whether it’s on democracy, reproductive freedom, immigration, or servicing Trump above all else, Kevin Kiley has consistently chosen ideological extremism and partisan politics over the priorities of the communities he was elected to serve. When California voters said “No More” to Donald Trump’s attempt to rig the election and passed Prop 50, instead of taking the hint and accepting his beloved leader had betrayed him, Kiley concocted a desperate scheme to stay in a seat of power.
The bottom line: Kevin Kiley can change his label, but he can’t change his record. Voters know the difference between a true independent voice and a politician willing to say anything to stay in office.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Sacramento Bee: Kiley draws major Republican campaign donations — even after his party exit [Sacramento Bee, 4/30/26]
“Even after dropping his GOP affiliation, Rep. Kevin Kiley has continued to draw major campaign contributions from Republican groups…
Nearly all the GOP donations came in the weeks following Kiley’s announcement that he would leave the Republican Party to become the sole Independent member of the House and register as ‘No Party Preference’ to run in California’s 6th Congressional District.”
Sacramento Bee: Nine California Republicans voted for Trump’s cruel budget bill. Remember them. | Editorial Board [Sacramento Bee, 5/23/25]
“Kiley has been turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to the thousands of constituents who have rallied in recent months in a fruitless attempt to refocus their representative’s attention — all but begging him to have allegiance to people over party. He refused to meet with his voters in person, refused to answer their questions about his votes, and failed to offer meaningful solutions or even acknowledge community concerns. And yet he paid lip service to protecting our system of safety nets.
Kiley has no compunction about his motives and will say whatever is necessary to avoid responsibility. Kiley is a politician of the worst kind.”
Sacramento Bee: Three issues that could spell doom for Rep. Kevin Kiley in the June election | Opinion [Sacramento Bee, 3/18/26]
“Kiley’s challenge will be that his conservative voting record (and a resume that includes the vigorous endorsement of President Donald Trump) will no longer be a strength — and very likely could be a liability.
Kiley has long been a vocal opponent of abortion rights, and a staunch pro-life supporter, but 84% of Democrats and Democratic leaners in California say abortion should be legal in all or most cases…
Sacramento Bee: There are opportunists and scoundrels in Sacramento. And then there is Kevin Kiley | Opinion [Sacramento Bee, 11/12/21]
Sacramento Bee: Kevin Kiley is a snowflake who isn’t ready for a few questions, let alone Congress | Opinion [Sacramento Bee, 4/23/22]
Sacramento Bee: Endorsement: The Bee picks one standout for the 6th Congressional District [Sacramento Bee, 4/29/26]
“With science under attack in Washington, D.C., we believe it’s a good time to send a doctor to Congress. Dr. Richard Pan served ably in the California Senate, where he stood up to death threats and personal attacks for defending the science of vaccinations. Pan’s wealth of knowledge and experience earns our endorsement.”
Mother Jones: RFK Jr. Has Met His Match in This California Congressional Hopeful [Mother Jones, 4/30/26]
Sacramento Bee: In congressional bid, Richard Pan hopes to take vaccine fight back to Washington [Sacramento Bee, 10/14/25]
“In Congress, Pan hopes to push back on the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid and against allowing Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire, a move that could spike insurance premiums…
‘Kevin Kiley has shown himself to be someone who is a reliable vote for the president’s agenda,’ Pan said in an exclusive interview with The Bee. ‘He’s not representing the people of his district.’”
PATH TO VICTORY
California’s Sixth Congressional District is one of Democrats’ strongest pickup opportunities in the country. Following the overwhelming passage of Proposition 50, the new district now gives Democrats an advantage – Kamala Harris won this district by 8 points.
Kevin Kiley enters the general election burdened by a record that is increasingly out of step with the voters he hopes to represent. After years as a reliable “MAGA champion,” Kiley is attempting to distance himself from the very policies and political movement that defined his career. But voters know better, and will see through a last-minute rebrand that cannot erase his record on health care, reproductive freedom, and rising costs.
Dr. Richard Pan enters the general election with a significant advantage of his own: deep roots in the community and a proven record of service. Having previously represented more than 70 percent of the new CA-06 in the State Legislature, Pan has strong name recognition, an established coalition of support, and a reputation as a trusted leader who delivers results as a state lawmaker. As voters learn more about Kevin Kiley’s record and Dr. Pan’s vision for California, they will have a clear choice between political opportunism and proven leadership. |
