SACRAMENTO — 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’s 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.
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 “roll back” work he helped build and that he is running “to be sure that we can protect people’s health care.”
Why El Dorado County readers should care
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.
Timeline and stakes
• Oct. 14, 2025 — Pan formally announced his campaign.
• Nov. 4, 2025 (special election) — Voters will decide Proposition 50, which could alter the district’s boundaries and partisan balance.
• 2026 — 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.
What each candidate emphasizes
Pan — a physician widely known in Sacramento for sponsoring laws tightening school vaccination rules — 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 “intentional” federal rollback of health-care protections, and accused Kiley of repeatedly siding with the presidential agenda.
Kiley — the two-term Republican incumbent who represents a geographically vast but politically mixed district — 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.
Local impact and context
El Dorado County hospitals and clinics — already stretched by workforce shortages and rising costs — 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.
Voices on the ground
“Since I’ve left the Legislature … a lot of that work that we’ve done together to help people is being rolled back,” Pan told KCRA in his campaign announcement. “I’m running for this seat in Congress, correct, yes. … The people of California, of this district, they need representation.” KCRA reported Pan also characterized Kiley as “basically a reliable vote for the president’s agenda.”
What to watch next for El Dorado readers
— 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.
— Fundraising and endorsements: Pan’s 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.
— 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.
Bottom line
Pan’s 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 — particularly those in communities along the Sacramento-Sierra corridor — 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.
