District 1 Congressman Doug LaMalfa Dies at 65

DISTRICT 1 — Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who represented California’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013, died on January 6 at the age of 65. The Republican lawmaker, a fourth-generation rice farmer from the rural North State, built a career focused on agriculture, water policy, and natural resources issues.

LaMalfa was born on July 2, 1960, in Oroville, California, and spent his entire life in Northern California. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and operated a family rice farming business in Richvale. His political career began in the California State Assembly, where he served from 2002 to 2008, followed by a term in the California State Senate from 2010 to 2012. In 2012, voters elected him to the U.S. House of Representatives, and he won re-election in subsequent cycles, advocating for farmers and forestry interests and for conservative policies on federal land management and water allocation.

On the evening of January 5, emergency responders answered a 911 call from LaMalfa’s home in Richvale. Authorities transported him to Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where he underwent emergency surgery following a medical emergency. He passed away early the next morning. House Republican leaders, including Majority Whip Tom Emmer and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson, confirmed the news.

LaMalfa’s death creates a vacancy in California’s 1st Congressional District, a large rural area stretching from the Oregon border south to parts of the Sacramento Valley, encompassing counties such as Butte, Shasta, Tehama, and Siskiyou. Before redistricting in 2021, the district included Plumas, Sierra, and Nevada counties. The district will lack representation in the House until a successor takes office.

Under California law, Governor Gavin Newsom must issue a proclamation calling a special election to fill the remainder of LaMalfa’s term, which runs until January 2027. The process follows the state’s nonpartisan blanket primary system: all candidates, regardless of party, appear on a single ballot. If one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, that person wins the seat outright. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff election.

No date has been set for the special election yet. Potential candidates have not been publicly identified, though likely candidates include Republican Assemblymember James Gallagher from Yuba City, Democrat State Senator Mike McGuire, and Democrat Audrey Denney. The two Democrats had previously declared their intentions to run against LaMalfa in the redrawn District 1, resulting from California’s Proposition 50.

The vacancy further narrows the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, reducing it to 218-213. Leaders from both parties, including President Trump, Governor Newsom, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, issued statements expressing condolences to LaMalfa’s family and constituents.