Republican Kevin Kiley defeated Democratic challenger Kermit Jones to win California’s 3rd Congressional seat, raising the GOP’s House majority to 220 seats.
Kiley won the race with 52.8% compared to Jones’s 47.2%, with 84% of the vote counted. The Republican announced on Twitter last week that he had won the race, claiming that his win secured a House majority for Republicans before it was officially called.
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In another GOP win for California, Rep. David Valadao (R) will once again represent the state’s 22nd Congressional District after defeating Assemblyman Rudy Salas (D) on Monday night.
Three House races remain uncalled: California’s 13th Congressional District, Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, and Alaska’s at-large House seat.
Kiley, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, was one of the former president’s few successes in the 2022 midterm elections. Several Republican leaders, who were expecting a red wave, blamed Trump for their less-than-expected outcomes after the party failed to flip the Senate or win the House majority by as wide of a margin as projected.
The California Republican received a lot of support after targeting the country’s rising crime and inflation rates, a campaign platform used by many Republicans to sway voters.
“Voters in the 3rd district chose Kevin Kiley because they wanted a proven conservative reformer who will go to work immediately to fight inflation, rebuild the economy and hold government officials and agencies accountable,” Dave Gilliard, Kiley’s general consultant, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Jones did not speak much on the Democratic Party during his campaign, stating that he would not support Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) if she had run for another term as Democratic leader, according to the Sacramento Bee.
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Kiley’s support also came after redistricting in the area, with his newly drawn 3rd Congressional District encompassing a population that typically tilts Republican. It goes through the Sacramento suburbs and three counties: Plumas, El Dorado, and Inyo.
Trump called Kiley “fantastic” after announcing his 2024 bid for the presidency on Nov. 15. Several top GOP voices, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have said they believe Trump is not the best chance for Republicans to win the White House.
