Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a California Republican who represented the state’s conservative 1st Congressional District for more than a decade, died Monday night following a suddenly medical emergency. He was 65.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office said it received a 911 call from LaMalfa’s residence around 6:50 p.m. Monday regarding a medical emergency. The congressman was rushed to Enloe Hospital in Chico, where he was taken into emergency surgery and died during the procedure, according to the sheriff’s department.
No cause of death has yet been announced.
“Early this morning Congressman Doug LaMalfa returned home to the Lord,” LaMalfa’s chief of staff Mark Spannagel said in a statement Tuesday. “He leaves a lasting legacy of servant leadership kindness to the North State. Congressman LaMalfa cared deeply for the people he served and worked tirelessly to hold the government to its word to fix our failing forests, build water storage, and leave people to be free to choose what is best for themselves.”
LaMalfa’s death further narrows the already razor-thin Republican majority in the House. With his death and the resignation of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, which took effect Monday, the party breakdown now stands at 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats, with four vacancies.
Speaker Johnson can now lose only two Republicans on any party-line vote, assuming full attendance in the chamber.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has 14 days under state law to announce a special election to replace LaMalfa. The 1st district is one of five GOP-held districts that were redrawn under California’s Proposition 50, which passed last year. The new maps, which take effect for the fall 2026 midterm elections, are aimed at making the districts more favorable to Democrats.
President Donald Trump paid tribute to LaMalfa during remarks at a House Republican retreat at the Kennedy Center Tuesday morning.
“I want to express our tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member, great, great, great member, Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who passed away yesterday, as you probably have heard,” Trump said. “He was the leader of the Western Caucus, a fierce champion on California water issues. He was great on water. He was a true defender of American children. He was a defender of everybody. And our hearts go out to his wife, Jill, and his entire family.”
“He voted with me 100% of the time,” Trump added. “I was really, I was really saddened by his passing and was thinking about not even doing the speech in his honor, but then I decided that I have to do it in his honor. I’ll do it in his honor, because he would have wanted it that way.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said he was “devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa.”
“Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” Emmer said in a statement. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”
Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan, chair of the House Republican Conference, said LaMalfa “cared deeply about his constituents and worked tirelessly to represent their voices, values, and livelihoods in Congress.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the news of LaMalfa’s sudden death “devastating.”
“Congress is devastated to learn this morning about the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Doug LaMalfa,” Johnson said. “He was as fierce of a fighter for his state’s vast natural resources and beauty as we have ever known.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also expressed condolences.
“A fourth-generation rice farmer, Rep. LaMalfa treasured his community, worked powerfully to protect California’s farmers and served those he represented with principled purpose, from the state legislature to the United States House of Representatives,” Jeffries said.
LaMalfa was first elected to Congress in 2012 after serving in the California State Assembly from 2002 to 2010 and briefly in the state Senate from 2010 to 2012.
The congressman represented California’s 1st Congressional District, which covers a large portion of the state’s northernmost rural area including Oroville, Yuba City, Chico, Redding and the California-Oregon border. He was unanimously elected chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus in 2025.
LaMalfa served on the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. He was a key voice on agriculture, rural issues, California water policy, and forestry management, and worked to provide wildfire victims and survivors in his district with relief and recovery efforts.
Rep. Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican, described LaMalfa as “a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California.”
“He was never afraid to fight for rural communities, farmers, and working families. Doug brought grit, authenticity, and conviction to everything he did in public service,” Hudson said. “I will deeply miss my ‘amigo.'”