GOP-vs.-GOP race avoided in redrawn district

Northern California Rep. Kevin Kiley opts against challenging Tom McClintock.

- BY SEEMA МЕНТА

Northern California Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), whose congressional district was carved up in the redistricting ballot measure approved by voters last year, announced Monday that he would not challenge fellow Republican Rep. Tom McClintock of Elk Grove. Instead, he plans to run in the Democratic-leaning district where he resides.

“It’s true that I was fully prepared to run in [McClintock’s district], having tested the waters and with polls showing a favorable outlook in a ‘safe’ district. But doing what’s easy and what's right are often not the same,” Kiley posted on X. “And at the end of the day, as much as I love the communities in [that] District that I represent now - and as excited as I was about the new ones — seeking office in a district that doesn’t include my hometown didn’t feel right.”

Kiley, 41, currently represents a district that spans Lake Tahoe to Sacramento. He did not respond to requests for comment.