Calif. GOP Rep Leaves Republican Party Narrowing House Majority
Rep. Kevin Kiley of California announced Monday that he is leaving the Republican Party and registering as an independent, effective immediately. The move further narrows Speaker Mike Johnson’s already slim two-vote majority in the House and adds another complication to an already challenging governing environment.
Kiley said he plans to continue caucusing with Republicans for “administrative purposes.” The California lawmaker did not notify House Republican leadership before first announcing the change on Friday.
He said he later spoke with Johnson over the weekend about remaining aligned with the Republican conference, but the announcement had already reduced the party’s margin in the chamber.
Kiley described his departure as a response to what he characterized as increasing partisanship in Congress and pointed to recent mid-decade redistricting that altered the boundaries of his Republican-leaning district. During a press call Monday, he cited those factors as part of his decision to change his party affiliation.
“Since gerrymandering seeks to elevate partisanship above everything else in our politics … the best way to counter gerrymandering and its insidious impacts on democracy is simply to take partisanship out of the equation,” he said.
Asked if would continue supporting GOP priorities, Kiley told Axios: “If you’re talking about just bringing bills to the floor, I think, generally speaking, I’ve been supportive of that.”
He then said: “I can’t commit to do that in each and every case, in advance, I think I’ll have to consider every one on its own merits.”
Meanwhile, in the Georgia special election to replace former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris advanced Tuesday from a crowded field to an April 7 runoff.
In the firmly Republican district in the northwest corner of the state, Fuller, a district attorney, benefited from President Donald Trump’s support. Greene defeated Harris, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general and cattle rancher, in the 14th District general election of 2024.
Election forecasters predicted that neither candidate would secure a majority required to prevent a run-off election on April 7. Fuller, the GOP candidate, secured 35% of the vote while Harris managed 37% with 99% of the votes counted on Tuesday.
That said, Fuller is the favorite going into the runoff in a district that Trump won by 37 percentage points in the 2024 presidential contest.
Trump weighed in after the race was called and shared several posts on Truth Social praising Fuller, arguing that he would be an “excellent” Republican in Congress for the MAGA movement, and urged Republicans to “finish the job” in the April 7th runoff.
“Congratulations to Clay Fuller, of Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, on getting such a high percentage of the vote with 12 Republicans running. We want to make the next vote ‘TOO BIG TO RIG.’ Clay will be a GREAT Congressman — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN! President DJT,” the president wrote on his Truth Social.
All candidates, regardless of party, must appear on the same ballot according to Georgia’s special election regulations.
It was improbable that any of the 22 candidates—17 of whom were Republicans—would receive more than 50% of the vote and avoid a runoff.
The campaigns of five Republican candidates who were on the ballot have since ended.
A voter NBC News spoke to on Tuesday cited Trump’s support as a factor in the race.
Sarah Umphrey, 77, said she voted for Fuller, adding that Trump’s endorsement was “really important. I like Trump.”
Assuming Republicans hold the seat and win the April 7th runoff, it would give Speaker Mike Johnson more breathing room in the U.S. House, where Republicans have a slim majority.
Fuller has repeatedly said he would be “a warrior for President Trump on Capitol Hill,” but other Republican candidates have also promised to fully support the president’s plans.
Trump Warns Iran of ‘Total Obliteration’ if They Try To Harm Him HH
President Donald Trump warned Iran that continued assassination threats made by leaders in Tehran would be met with the country getting “blown up” and “total obliteration.”
“Well, they shouldn’t be doing it but I’ve left notification,” Trump said. “Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up.”
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Biden-era Intelligence officials briefed Trump about the alleged threats against him during his presidential campaign in 2024. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said the plot was retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani by the U.S. in 2020, during Trump’s first administration.
Despite being briefed by his administration, Trump on Tuesday said President Biden “should have said something” on the matter, adding that presidents should defend each other on such matters.
“But I have very firm instructions,” Trump continued. “Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”
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Trump also spoke about the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva.
“What are you expecting from these Iran talks in Geneva?” a reporter asked Trump aboard Air Force One.
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“So, I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly, and they’ll be very important. We’ll see what can happen. Typically, Iran’s a very tough negotiator; they’re good negotiators — or bad negotiators. I would say they’re bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B2s to knock out their nuclear potential. We had to send the B2s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal,” Trump said.
“Have you been told that a deal is next to impossible?” the reporter followed up.
Trump replied, “No. I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.”
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Trump previously said that he instructed officials to destroy Iran if they killed him.
The president said this after signing an executive order right after taking office that gave him all the tools he needed to talk to Iran’s government and put as much pressure on Tehran as possible.
“They haven’t done that and that would be a terrible thing for them to do,” Trump said at the time. “Not because of me — if they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. I’ve left instructions, if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left. And, they shouldn’t be able to do it.”
Trump warned last week that the United States could send additional warships toward Iran if ongoing diplomatic negotiations fail to produce a deal, signaling that military pressure could increase as talks over Tehran’s nuclear program stall.
In remarks to Axios, Trump said the administration is considering deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln and 9 additional warships already positioned near Iran, though he expressed hope that a diplomatic agreement can still be reached.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” the president told Axios on Tuesday, a reference to the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites in June.
“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it. They overplayed their hand,” Trump added. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”
The president emphasized that the United States is seeking to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions, halt the development of its ballistic missile program, and end support for militant proxy groups. Iranian officials have so far resisted expanding negotiations beyond nuclear-related issues.
He described the nuclear issue as a “matter of course” part of any negotiation, but also insisted that an agreement with Iran must also address Tehran’s ballistic missile stockpiles, per Axios.
Trump said the US “can make a great deal with Iran,” and Tehran “very much wants to make a deal.”
Trump’s comments came ahead of a planned visit to Washington, D.C. by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to press for a tougher U.S. stance and broader terms for any Iran deal that would include constraints on Tehran’s missile capabilities and regional activities.
Before heading to DC, the Israeli leader previewed some of what he and Trump were going to discuss.
“I will present to the president our understanding of the principles of the negotiations (with Iran) – the essential principles that are important not only to Israel – but to everyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” Netanyahu told reporters, per the New York Post.
The administration has already bolstered its military presence in the Middle East, with multiple warships and aircraft deployed as a means of deterrence and leverage.
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