Rep. Kevin Kiley of California has announced that he will run for re-election as an independent, leaving the Republican Party behind. Redistricting means Kiley is facing a much more Democrat-leaning electorate.
He makes the case I have been making for over a decade- that independents would answer only to their constituents rather than a party machine headquartered in DC. That said, successful politicians look out for their own careers first and foremost. He isn't running as an independent to make a statement. He is doing so because he feels it will give him the best chance to win. I consider that an encouraging sign. We'd be better off if most legislators were independents. When the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch are run by people in the same party, it is an informal end-run around the founder's formal system of checks and balances.
