Kevin Kiley (R-CA), the candidate for California’s 3rd Congressional District backed by former President Donald Trump, secured his win over his Democratic opponent Tuesday. That marked number 218 for Republicans and put the GOP in charge of the U.S. House.
Five other Republican wins were called on Monday in California and Arizona House districts, and that set up Kiley for the honor of putting the Republican Party over the top.
Kiley was a crusader against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s sweeping lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state assemblyman was able to parlay the popularity of his opposition to these policies into a U.S. House seat.
A byproduct of his election tipping the balance to the GOP is the ending of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) tenure as Speaker of the House.
Kiley hinged his campaign on a call for the House, if won by Republicans, to return to Trump administration policies. He said in March that if the party was successful and renewed the direction of the previous White House, the economy would restart, the border would be secure and taxes lower.
With Kevin Kiley's win, the Republican Party has enough seats to take control of the Househttps://t.co/ZcVDx7Mg0h
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) November 16, 2022
Despite the expected “red wave” of GOP victories never materializing, the party only needed a net gain of five House seats to secure the majority. Candidates Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Mike Garcia (R-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA) still hold slim leads in their races.
Victories by any or all extend the Republican majority and make reaching its priorities simpler.
On Tuesday, House GOP members turned back a bid by Andy Biggs (R-AZ) to upset Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for the speaker’s gavel. That move by itself does not guarantee the role for McCarthy, who still needs to pass the 218-vote threshold by January.
A major byproduct of Kiley’s win and the Republican grip on the House is control over the body’s committees — and thus investigations.
McCarthy has reportedly conversed with party leaders concerning working together across various committees in probes, including one into President Joe Biden’s embattled son, Hunter Biden.
The Washington Post reported House GOP members have already forwarded over 500 requests to administration agencies to turn over or preserve important documents. McCarthy is urging sitting committee members to contact officials with these requests before January.
