SACRAMENTO \u2014 Dr. Richard Pan, a pediatrician, former state senator and UC Davis public-health professor, announced Oct. 14 that he is running for Congress in California\u2019s 3rd District to challenge Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, setting up a race that could hinge on health-care policy and the outcome of a high-profile redistricting measure.<\/p>\n
Pan framed his campaign as a defense of local health care against federal rollbacks, saying recent actions by the Trump administration and Health and Human Services officials \u201croll back\u201d work he helped build and that he is running \u201cto be sure that we can protect people\u2019s health care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why El Dorado County readers should care<\/strong> Timeline and stakes<\/strong> What each candidate emphasizes<\/strong> Kiley \u2014 the two-term Republican incumbent who represents a geographically vast but politically mixed district \u2014 has championed taxpayer protection measures for seniors and criticized Prop. 50 as a partisan maneuver. In public statements and social media, Kiley has framed the redistricting effort as an attempt by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats to target his seat.<\/p>\n Local impact and context<\/strong> Voices on the ground<\/strong> What to watch next for El Dorado readers<\/strong> Dr. Richard Pan announced Oct. 14 he\u2019ll challenge Rep. Kevin Kiley in CA-03 \u2014 a race driven by health-care fights and possible redistricting that could affect El Dorado County<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"7","parallax":"1","layout":"no-sidebar-narrow","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"Former state senator and pediatrician jumps into the 3rd District race Oct. 14 \u2014 health care and redistricting could decide the outcome"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government"],"yoast_head":"\n
Parts of El Dorado County fall inside the current 3rd District and would remain politically important under proposed maps tied to Proposition 50, the November special-election measure that would redraw several congressional districts in California. If Prop. 50 passes, the new lines could shift more suburban Sacramento voters into a district that already contains much of Placer County and parts of El Dorado, potentially changing the electorate Pan and Kiley must win.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Oct. 14, 2025 \u2014 Pan formally announced his campaign.\u00a0
\u2022 Nov. 4, 2025 (special election) \u2014 Voters will decide Proposition 50, which could alter the district\u2019s boundaries and partisan balance.\u00a0
\u2022 2026 \u2014 If Prop. 50 or other map changes take effect, the seat could be among a handful Democrats target to flip or defend as control of the U.S. House remains competitive.<\/p>\n
Pan \u2014 a physician widely known in Sacramento for sponsoring laws tightening school vaccination rules \u2014 is pitching himself as a guardian of Medicaid and other safety-net programs threatened by federal budget proposals and executive actions. He told reporters he was pushed to run after seeing what he described as an \u201cintentional\u201d federal rollback of health-care protections, and accused Kiley of repeatedly siding with the presidential agenda.<\/p>\n
El Dorado County hospitals and clinics \u2014 already stretched by workforce shortages and rising costs \u2014 would be immediately affected by any federal changes to Medicaid (Medi-Cal) financing. Health-policy analysts and hospital groups have warned that federal Medicaid reductions would strain rural and suburban providers serving low-income families, an issue Pan is using to make his local case.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince I\u2019ve left the Legislature \u2026 a lot of that work that we\u2019ve done together to help people is being rolled back,\u201d Pan told KCRA in his campaign announcement. \u201cI\u2019m running for this seat in Congress, correct, yes. \u2026 The people of California, of this district, they need representation.\u201d KCRA reported Pan also characterized Kiley as \u201cbasically a reliable vote for the president\u2019s agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 How the special election on Proposition 50 (Nov. 4) reshapes the 3rd District map and the voter mix in El Dorado neighborhoods; voters there should check precinct-level changes.
\u2014 Fundraising and endorsements: Pan\u2019s statewide profile could help him raise money and attract organized health-care and suburban endorsements; Kiley will rely on incumbent networks and his message about fiscal conservatism.
\u2014 Local forums and candidate events: Watch for town halls in Folsom, Placerville and other El Dorado communities where health-care access, wildfire response and water policy are likely to surface.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h3>\n
Pan\u2019s entry turns a race that had been watched for redistricting implications into an active contest focused on health care and competing visions for representation. For El Dorado County voters \u2014 particularly those in communities along the Sacramento-Sierra corridor \u2014 the contest will put local hospital funding, Medi-Cal access and suburban health concerns at the center of a 2026 campaign that could decide whether the 3rd District stays in Republican hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"