Prop 50 leaves Kevin Kiley without a clear district for 2026 run

California Congressman Kevin Kiley said he’s still deciding where he’ll run in 2026 after voters approved Proposition 50 — a measure that redraws the state’s congressional map mid-decade and could net Democrats up to five additional House seats. 

The new boundaries place portions of Kiley’s current district east of Sacramento into six different districts, leaving him with an unusually wide range of choices. 

During a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Kiley said he hasn’t committed to any one district yet. 

“I have a lot of options,” he said. “I’ll be talking with my constituents and I’m not really in any rush to make any decision, but I’ll be trying to figure out how I can best represent California in Congress going forward.”

He declined to say whether he might challenge fellow Republican Tom McClintock in District 5, which includes much of the Sierra Nevada foothills. 

But Sacramento State political science professor Kim Nalder says the new map puts Kiley in a bind with a contested primary likely no matter where he chooses to run. 

“It’s unlikely that he’ll have an easy shot in any of the districts,” Nalder said. “And all of them — the ones where he might have a shot — he’s got a primary opponent in his own party.” 

Nalder said running against McClintock would also be unwise given his long history in California politics. 

“It would certainly be a brutal primary battle if that happened,” she added. 

Placer County split three ways 

Prop 50 will divide Placer County into three Democratic-leaning districts despite its long history of being represented by the Republican party. 

Nick Bennett, chair of the Placer County Democratic Party, celebrated when early results started coming in on election night. He said it represents a major shift and a disapproval of the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress. 

Placer County Democratic Party members await Proposition 50 results Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, at Kathrin's Biergarten in Rocklin.Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio

“This proposition is all about trying to make sure that we have a chance to hold the Trump administration accountable,” Bennett said.

He also thinks this gives the Democratic Party momentum in pushing for “ideas and solutions” that “resonate with a lot of people throughout the country.” 

Mark Wright, chair of the Placer County Republican Party, sees the map differently, arguing that it will disrupt long-established communities of interest. 

“It’s going to break up all of our main population groups,” he said. “We’re breaking up Rocklin away from Auburn and we’re moving Lincoln away from Roseville, and those are all places that work together.” 

Still, Wright said the measure's passing might energize Republicans heading into the midterms. 

“It’s going to fire up our base and I think people are going turn out in droves and hopefully this will bite Newsom in the butt,” he said. 

Nalder argued that the division of Placer County into three separate districts does go against a fundamental principle of redistricting — keeping geographic communities intact. 

“One of the legal requirements for redistricting is that they try to keep communities of interest together,” she said. “In general, the rule is that you would, in drawing those districts, intend to keep those bodies in one district if possible.” 

She added that splitting rural counties into multiple districts risks deepening existing feelings of neglect, and might push Republicans to respond strongly in future elections. 

“There are some communities, especially in the rural parts of the state, that already feel unrepresented by California state government and also members of Congress from California, and this will just make this worse,” she said. “I think we’ll see a stronger resentment by those folks who feel less and less represented.”