| Background |
- Born in Roseville, CA; Harvard B.A. 2007; M.A. Secondary Education, Loyola Marymount
2009; Yale Law J.D. 2012
- Former teacher; lawyer; California Deputy Attorney General; adjunct professor
- California State Assembly (6th District), 2016–2022; two-term U.S. House (CA-3),
2023–present
- Registered Republican 2022–2026; switched to No Party Preference March 2026, citing
frustration with 'hyper-partisanship'
- Prop. 50 made his former CA-3 solidly Democratic; chose to run in new CA-6
(Sacramento/Placer/Yolo) rather than primary incumbent McClintock in CA-5
- Known for NYT profile and 'The Daily' interview for attending Congress during 43-day
government shutdown
- Missed only 0.8% of roll-call votes — well below the median
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- Born October 28, 1965; Taiwanese American immigrant family; raised in Pittsburgh, PA
- B.S. Biophysics, Johns Hopkins; M.D., University of Pittsburgh; M.P.H., Harvard;
pediatric residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (Chief Resident)
- Fellowship, Children's Hospital Boston (child advocacy & primary care research)
- Practicing pediatrician and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, UC Davis Children's
Hospital
- California State Assembly (9th District), 2010–2014; California State Senate (6th
District), 2014–2022 (termed out)
- Chaired the CA Senate Health Committee; led state implementation of the ACA
- Ran for Mayor of Sacramento in 2024; did not win; pivoted to CA-6 congressional race
after Prop. 50 redrew the district
- Married to Wen Li-Wang (dentist); first announced congressional run October 14, 2025
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| Key Priorities |
- Lower cost of living: introduced legislation to compel California to reduce its gas tax
(highest in nation)
- Bipartisan infrastructure: secured $22.5M grant for Hwy 65 / I-80 improvements in Placer
County
- Anti-gerrymandering: introduced House bill to ban mid-decade redistricting; called on
Speaker Johnson repeatedly to bring it to a vote
- Fiscal responsibility: opposes wasteful spending; voted against Trump's emergency
tariffs on Canada
- Government accountability: one of few Republicans who showed up during the government
shutdown
- Education reform; veterans' services
- Positions himself as independent problem-solver above partisan fray
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- Healthcare access: authored $11 insulin legislation in CA Senate; championed ACA
implementation; cut the uninsured rate by two-thirds in California
- Oppose Trump and RFK Jr.'s attacks on public health, vaccines, and science
- Housing: passed legislation to help families with housing costs
- Prescription drug pricing: fight greedy pharmaceutical corporations
- Gun safety: common-sense laws including universal background checks and assault weapons
ban
- Public safety investment: secured millions in new funding for firefighters and emergency
responders
- Community-based violence prevention; mental health grants
- Student loan relief; roll back Trump tariff taxes
- Food security: ensured families in need can afford groceries
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| Key Endorsements |
- Previously endorsed by President Trump (as a Republican in CA-3); no new endorsements
announced as of publication
- Campaigns as independent appealing to both Republican and swing voters
- Republican Governance Group (caucus membership)
- Note: Lost formal GOP endorsement network by switching parties; NRCC unlikely to support
an independent
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- California Federation of Labor Unions (SEIU anchor)
- California Teachers Association (CTA)
- California Labor Federation
- 314 Action Fund — invested $1.5M in primary to boost Pan as a science-credentialed
candidate against RFK Jr. ideology
- Emergency responders, nurses, and local leaders per campaign website
- California Democratic Party (no formal endorsement — party declined to endorse in the
multi-candidate primary)
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| Advantages |
- Incumbent: 3 years in Congress, name recognition, casework record ($22.5M infrastructure
grant)
- Independent label appeals to swing voters in a district where Democrats hold a narrow
registration edge but many independents exist
- High-profile media presence: NYT profile, The Daily podcast; known as a principled
maverick
- Low missed-vote rate signals work ethic and reliability
- Fundraising likely superior to Pan given incumbency and prior GOP donor base
- District includes Roseville/Placer County — his home territory of 20+ years
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- District's Democratic registration advantage benefits a strong Democrat
- 314 Action Fund's $1.5M primary investment signals major national progressive
infrastructure support in the general
- Highly credentialed: MD, MPH, Harvard, Johns Hopkins — uniquely positioned on healthcare
in anti-RFK Jr. moment
- Authored CA's $11 insulin law — concrete, tangible policy achievement that resonates
with district voters
- Strong labor endorsements: SEIU, CTA, California Labor Federation amplify grassroots
organizing capacity
- Pan finished second in the primary — advancing despite a crowded Democrat field
validates his general-election viability
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| Vulnerabilities |
- Party switch to independent widely seen as cynical political maneuvering after Prop. 50
made his old district unwinnable
- Voting record is predominantly Republican — Democrats will attack him as a Republican in
disguise
- Lost formal NRCC/GOP infrastructure by switching parties; has no natural party
institutional base for the general
- The new CA-6 leans Democratic — his independent label may not compensate for structural
disadvantage
- Only one bill enacted in three years (naming a VA clinic); legislative thin gruel
- Moderate Republicans he counted on may not follow him to an independent race
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- Vaccine mandate champion: SB 277 and related bills made him a lightning rod for
anti-vaccine activists — a potential drag with independent voters
- Lost Sacramento mayoral race in 2024 — prior electoral defeat signals he is not
invincible outside legislative settings
- No federal legislative experience; first-time congressional candidate
- California Democratic Party offered no endorsement — intraparty competition fragmented
Democratic consolidation in the primary
- Kiley's incumbency and local roots give him a strong base in Placer County and Roseville
that Pan must overcome
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| Campaign & Major Donors |
- Fundraising details for 2026 cycle not fully public as of publication; incumbency
advantage implies superior cash-on-hand
- Prior Republican donor network now complicated by party switch — some major donors may
sit out
- WinRed (prior Trump-era small-dollar machine) unlikely to remain active post-party
change
- Independent expenditure committee support uncertain — NRCC will not back him; no
equivalent IE infrastructure on the independent side
- Likely to rely on moderate/business donor base and personal networks from Placer County
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- 314 Action Fund: $1.5M investment in primary campaign including six-figure TV ad
campaign
- California Labor Federation, SEIU, and CTA PAC contributions
- Grassroots fundraising from progressive healthcare donor network nationally
- DCCC and House Majority PAC likely to invest in the general if Pan leads polling
- Pro-science / pro-public health donor networks activated by RFK Jr. threat nationally
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| Foreign Policy |
- Voted with Republicans on defense and military posture generally
- Voted with Democrats against Trump's emergency tariffs on Canada — signals willingness
to cross party lines on trade/foreign economic policy
- Introduced anti-mid-decade gerrymandering bill as a democratic norms issue — frames
domestic governance as foundational
- No stated public positions on Israel-Gaza, Iran war, or U.S. military aid as of
publication
- As a former Republican, previously caucused with members supportive of U.S.-Israel
alliance and hawkish Iran posture
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- Framed congressional campaign explicitly around stopping RFK Jr. and Trump's 'attacks on
health care and science' — positions domestic science policy as a national security
issue
- Supports Taiwan — consistent with his Taiwanese American identity and anti-authoritarian
values
- No public statements on the Iran war or Gaza conflict as of publication
- Public health lens on foreign policy: authored legislation to counter CCP-related health
disinformation (implied from committee focus)
- 314 Action Fund alignment suggests support for science-based foreign policy and
opposition to unilateral military action without evidence
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