Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-California) has died, according to Republican leaders in Congress. He was 65.
The seven-term congressman represented a district that encompassed much of Northern California’s interior. His district was redrawn last year, taking it from a safely GOP seat to a Democratic-leaning one, as a result of California’s redistricting to counter Republican gains in Texas and across the country.
LaMalfa’s death poses a further challenge for the incredibly narrow House Republican majority and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who had ambitious goals for the conference to pass more of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda in 2026. House Republicans gathered with Trump on Tuesday at the Kennedy Center to discuss how they could go further than the landmark tax and immigration bill — dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill by the president — they passed last year.
House Republicans’ razor-thin majority has significantly tested their ability to pass legislation in the past year, but they ultimately did so with Trump’s direct involvement. Yet his waning interest in Congress has made it difficult for GOP leaders to advance legislation.
With LaMalfa’s absence, after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) officially vacates her seat Tuesday, the GOP majority will shrink to 218. That means Republicans can lose only two votes to pass partisan bills if all Democrats are present and voting. Democrats hold 213 seats.
The California Elections Code states that the governor must issue a proclamation for a special election within 14 days of a vacancy in the House. A date for a special election to replace LaMalfa, which must take place between 126 and 140 days following the vacancy, has not been set yet.
At the event with House Republicans on Tuesday morning, Trump offered his condolences to LaMalfa’s family and praised the congressman as “a defender of everybody” and “a great member” who “voted with me 100 percent of the time.”
The president said he considered canceling his remarks as a way to honor LaMalfa’s death but added: “I’ll do it in his honor, because he would have wanted it that way.”
In addition to his comments on LaMalfa’s death, Trump noted that another House Republican was recently injured. The office of Rep. Jim Baird on Tuesday confirmed that the congressman from Indiana was injured in a car accident and remains hospitalized. He is expected to make a full recovery, and the congressman’s office said it “will continue to provide services and support for those who need it.”
Johnson expressed his condolences to LaMalfa’s family in a statement Tuesday.
“Doug was a lifelong resident of northern California and deeply loved its people,” Johnson wrote. “He was as fierce of a fighter for his state’s vast natural resources and beauty as we have ever known. We are mourning the loss of our friend and brother today.”
Rep. Tom Emmer (Minnesota), the House Republican whip, wrote on X that he and his wife were “devastated about the sudden loss” of LaMalfa. Rep. Richard Hudson (North Carolina), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, in a statement called LaMalfa a “principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California.”
In remembrance of LaMalfa’s death, flags at the California Capitol will be flown at half-staff. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), in a statement, called LaMalfa “a devoted public servant who deeply loved his country, his state, and the communities he represented.”
“While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care. He will be deeply missed,” Newsom added.
LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer who served in both chambers of the California state legislature before joining Congress, had a long-standing conservative political record.
In Congress, he focused on issues affecting rural California and chaired the Congressional Western Caucus, which focuses on promoting legislation that affects rural Americans. He was a climate science skeptic, and his opposition to same-sex marriage and gender transition care for transgender minors garnered criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates. The congressman, a Trump ally, voted against the certification of the 2020 election in two states.
In Congress, he gained a reputation for being an affable, approachable and pragmatic lawmaker, a contrast with the more bombastic and personality-driven GOP members who are often in the national spotlight. LaMalfa devoted his time in Congress to preserving California’s forests and agricultural businesses.
He was also known for using State of the Union addresses to snag one-on-one moments with presidents, regardless of political party, and make his legislative asks. After other Republican members of Congress loudly jeered President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech in March 2024, LaMalfa had a three-minute conversation on the House floor with the commander in chief.
“I try to get wins,” LaMalfa said then. “I don’t think you do that by poking somebody in the eye. I mean, there’s ways to call out things you disagree with and you think are bad policy: Talk about the policy; don’t make it too personal.”
Maeve Reston contributed to this report.
correction A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the number of House Democrats will soon drop to 212. It remains at 213.
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