Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a fourth generation rice farmer and Republican who for the last 13 years represented much of California’s rural north in Congress, has died. He was 65.
His sudden death, confirmed by his office Tuesday, further shrinks the party’s already razor-thin majority, which now stands at 218 following Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation this week. The GOP can now only afford to lose two members on any given party-line vote.
“Early this morning, Congressman Doug LaMalfa returned home to the Lord,” read a post on LaMalfa’s Facebook page. “He leaves behind his amazing wife, Jill, four children, one grandchild, two sisters and a host of cousins.”
LaMalfa died in emergency surgery after he was rushed to a Chico hospital Monday night, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, which said his family called 911 after the congressman experienced a “medical emergency” in his home.
While President Donald Trump and House Republicans could consistently count on LaMalfa’s support for conservative priorities such as last year’s mega domestic policy bill, he never adopted the firebrand or antagonist persona that many of his colleagues preferred.
Instead, LaMalfa developed a reputation as a pragmatic and affable member who prioritized water access and forestry management, key interests for his largely forested, fire-prone and agricultural-heavy district. It’s those issues that led him to staunchly oppose Proposition 50, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan that proposed to lump much of the rural north with parts of the far more urban and liberal San Francisco Bay Area.
Under California election law, Gov. Gavin Newsom has 14 days to call a special election to fill the remainder of LaMalfa’s current term. That election will take place under the existing congressional district lines, which stretch from much of the Oregon-California border through rural Shasta and Sutter counties, rather than the new Democratic-leaning district adopted after voters approved Prop. 50 in November.
That sets up a potentially confusing scenario for voters, as Newsom could set the special election to replace LaMalfa to coincide with the already scheduled statewide primary in June, which uses the new Prop. 50 maps.
LaMalfa was known for his steadfast commitment to issues that affected his district. One tradition of his was to stake out the president after the State of the Union speech. In those precious few minutes, as the leader of the free world descended the dais and moved to exit the chamber, LaMalfa would make his legislative requests. As the Washington Post reported, after President Joe Biden’s final address, LaMalfa asked the president to force the U.S. Forest Service to speed up permits for cutting timber, telling the president, “We gotta cut some trees.”
LaMalfa strongly opposed Prop. 50, framing the gerrymander as a significant loss of representation for rural Californians. At a press conference last fall, he stressed how much he loved representing the farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers in his district, rattling off names of small towns such as Fort Goodwin and Cedarville, where he said he’s knocked on countless doors and held various town halls over the years.
“I know where all those places are,” LaMalfa told the handful of reporters gathered in the Butte County Farm Bureau lodge. “Do you think that’s going to happen when people from Cedarville, Modoc County, are lumped in with people from Sausalito and Marin County?”
It’s possible that LaMalfa’s successor won’t be sworn in for several months, depending on when Newsom calls the special election and whether any candidate receives 50% of the vote. If not, voters will have to cast ballots in a runoff election.
“Whoever runs for it is literally going to be a congressman for a month,” said Paul Mitchell, the primary architect of the Prop. 50 districts. He noted that even though a Republican would likely win the special election, “there’s no reality that they’re going to win the Prop. 50 map.”
He noted that House Republicans would benefit from uniting behind a single candidate to avoid a runoff, whereas Democrats would likely prefer to keep the seat open as long as possible.
None of LaMalfa’s Democratic challengers, including state Sen. Mike McGuire and Chico State Professor Audrey Denney, immediately said whether they would run in a special election.
