California Rep. Kevin Kiley announced on Monday he is switching his congressional party designation from Republican to independent, formalizing his party switch as he pursues a longshot bid to win reelection in a Democratic-leaning district. Kiley, whose district was redrawn in Democrats’ favor last year, confirmed to reporters on Monday that he is officially filing to run in California’s 6th District on a “no party preference” ballot line, and is seeking to have his party affiliation changed to independent immediately. “I'm asking the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives to have that reflected in the official roster,” Kiley said. House Republicans have an incredibly tight majority in the lower chamber — but the move may not dramatically affect House Speaker Mike Johnson’s narrow House majority. Kiley said he will still caucus with Republicans, but said the switch reflects “the way that I approach my role here.” On Friday, Kiley announced he wouldn’t be running for reelection in the 3rd District, which he currently represents, after California Democrats’ mid-decade gerrymander drew five Republican-held districts to benefit Democrats. Kiley also said he won’t be running as a Republican and denounced partisan politics, part of his broader effort to win reelection by tacking toward the middle. Kiley becomes the first independent member of the House since former Michigan Rep. Justin Amash left the GOP in 2019. Kiley joins independent Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Angus King (I-Maine) as the only independents in Congress, although both Sanders and King caucus with Democrats.