Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), who has represented California’s 1st Congressional District since 2013, died Tuesday at 65.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) confirmed the congressman’s death on X, writing that it was a “sudden loss.”
“Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” Emmer said in a post. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”
The House Republican Conference also issued a statement mourning its deceased member, praising him for his two decades in politics.
“Doug was a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California,” National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) said. “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.”
“I cherished our time serving together on the Agriculture Committee and discussing NASCAR; he was a real gearhead and motorsports fan. I will deeply miss my ‘amigo,’” Hudson added.
Democrats are also mourning LaMalfa’s passing. Opening a hearing on the five-year anniversary of Jan. 6, 2021, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) asked for a moment of silence to honor a “great member of Congress.”
A fourth-generation rice farmer from Richvale, California, LaMalfa was known as a fierce defender of rural areas, chairing the Congressional Western Caucus. He was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2002 and the state Senate in 2010.
He told the Washington Examiner in October 2025 that he originally had no intention of getting into politics, but he started by putting up posters in his spare time for a cousin running for county supervisor.
“I was happy to be the sign guy,” LaMalfa said, noting that he worked his way up to putting up signs for candidates running for Congress, governor, and even president. LaMalfa eventually moved from campaigning for others to running himself.
The day the Washington Examiner spoke to him, he was on a tractor, working on his rice farm. The folksy lawmaker, who gave his team nicknames and joked that he was a tough boss, got serious when talk turned to redistricting and the future of the state.
He was seeking an eighth term in 2026 and was facing Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire, a former president pro tempore. LaMalfa’s seat was one of five Republicans targeted under California’s plan to redistrict as a way to offset gerrymandering in Texas.
Democrats have long coveted his seat, but their chances improved drastically after Proposition 50 passed in November 2025. This altered California’s 1st Congressional District, which originally swept south of the Oregon border almost to Sacramento. It covered the rice fields and walnut and almond orchards of the Sacramento Valley to the forested foothills of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range.
The vast majority of the 1st District’s residents are farming families who have harvested the land for decades. The rural district is among the most conservative and least diverse in the state.
DOUG LAMALFA WARNS PROPOSITION 50 COULD SILENCE CALIFORNIA’S RURAL VOICES
LaMalfa won reelection in 2024 with nearly two-thirds of the vote. But with Prop 50’s passing, the district will now include Democratic voters in Santa Rosa through Chico to the Nevada border. This will likely give the Democratic nominee an advantage.
With LaMalfa’s passing, the House majority stands at 218 Republicans to 213 Democrats, giving Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) a two-seat majority. It comes right after the retirement of former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday night, giving Johnson slimmer odds to pass contentious bills heading into a midterm election year.