{"id":123097,"date":"2026-01-07T04:05:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T04:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/123097\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T04:05:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T04:05:21","slug":"tributes-pour-in-for-northern-california-rep-doug-lamalfa-whose-sudden-death-at-65-further-narrows-gop-hold-in-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/123097\/","title":{"rendered":"Tributes pour in for Northern California Rep. Doug LaMalfa, whose sudden death, at 65, further narrows GOP hold in Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"

Figures from across the nation and political spectrum expressed shock and sorrow Tuesday over the sudden death of Congressman Doug LaMalfa, the Butte County Republican who\u2019d represented California\u2019s 1st Congressional District since 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was with us right from the beginning,\u201d said President Donald Trump of LaMalfa, a reliable MAGA ally whose death leaves the GOP with a tenuous 218-213 margin in the U.S. House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that flags at the Capitol would fly at half-staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we often approached issues from different perspectives,\u201d said Newsom of LaMalfa in a statement, \u201che fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care. He will be deeply missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FILE<\/p>\n

FILE – Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., a member of the House Agriculture Committee, arrives for a closed-door meeting with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite, File)<\/p>\n

\"Rep.<\/p>\n

Rep. Doug LaMalfa smiles as he hosts a town hall Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 at the Elks Lodge in Chico, California. (Dan Reidel\/Enterprise-Record)\n<\/p>\n

\"Rep.<\/p>\n

FILE \u2013 In this image from video, Rep. Doug LaMalfa. R-Calif., speaks on the floor of the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, April 23, 2020. (House Television via AP, FIle)\n<\/p>\n

\"Workers<\/p>\n

Workers wash down tractors at the rice farm belonging to Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) in Richvale on Dec. 8, 2025. LaMalfa’s seat is among the Republican-held districts most endangered by redistricting enabled by California’s Proposition 50 ballot measure. (Max Whittaker\/The New York Times)<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., speaks during a press conference in Chico, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo\/Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez)\n<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa listens to a comment from an attendee during a town-hall meeting at the Chico Elks Lodge on Aug. 11, 2025. Photo by Salvador Ochoa for CalMatters<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 6<\/p>\n

FILE – Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., a member of the House Agriculture Committee, arrives for a closed-door meeting with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite, File)<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

A fourth-generation rice farmer from Richvale, LaMalfa, 65, suffered an aneurysm, then a heart attack after being taken into emergency surgery, according Politico<\/a>. He died during the surgery about 3:20 a.m. Tuesday, according to Kory Honea, the Butte County sheriff\/coroner.<\/p>\n

It was LaMalfa, along with Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, who carried legislation in the House to exempt victims of wildfires ignited by utilities from paying federal taxes on compensation for their losses. That legislation, which passed in 2024 after a 2 \u00bd year slog<\/a>, was particularly meaningful to constituents in his fire-scarred district, which includes Paradise, and wildfire survivors in the North Bay.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) drives around his district near his home in Richvale, where he and many others are rice farmers, on Dec. 8, 2025. LaMalfa’s seat is among the Republican-held districts most endangered by redistricting enabled by California’s Proposition 50 ballot measure. (Max Whittaker\/The New York Times)<\/p>\n

He died halfway through his seventh term in Congress, having cruised to victory in those races. But LaMalfa faced a far steeper climb to win an eighth term following the passage this past November of Proposition 50, which redrew California\u2019s congressional districts to create five new Democratic seats.<\/p>\n

That reconfigured map, Newsom\u2019s response to a gerrymander engineered at Trump\u2019s behest by the Texas Legislature, transformed LaMalfa\u2019s 1st District from a safe Republican seat into one favoring Democrats \u2013 and one Democrat in particular.<\/p>\n

Mike McGuire, the state senator from Healdsburg who until November served as that body\u2019s highest ranking member, terms out office at the end of this year. He announced Nov. 13 his intention to run for LaMalfa\u2019s District 1 seat.<\/p>\n

\"State<\/p>\n

Alvin Jornada \/ The Press Democrat<\/p>\n

State Sen. Mike McGuire listens to panel speakers during a hearing for the California Senate and Assembly Select Committee on Wine at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. (Alvin Jornada \/ The Press Democrat)<\/p>\n

\u201cErika and I extend our deepest condolences to Doug LaMalfa\u2019s family, friends, and colleagues,\u201d McGuire said Tuesday in a statement, steering clear of all political talk for the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic service is a noble calling, regardless of party, and Congressman LaMalfa\u2019s dedication to serving the people of California deserves recognition, respect and gratitude.<\/p>\n

Our prayers are with his family and the communities he has proudly served.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsom has 14 days to set a date for a special election, to be contested in the current, bright red, pre-Prop 50 lines, not the redrawn ones, with the winner serving out the remainder of LaMalfa\u2019s term.<\/p>\n

The June primary election to determine who runs in November to claim the seat representing the redrawn district, meanwhile, is also set to include another well-known Democrat in the district, Audrey Denney, a Chico-based educator and non-profit leader who has twice lost to LaMalfa.<\/p>\n

\"AudreyAudrey Denney at her home in Chico on Sept. 3, 2025. Denney is considering running as a Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in Calfornia’s 1st District, if the new congressional maps are approved. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters<\/p>\n

In October, Denney announced her plans to oppose him again, and was then endorsed by Emily\u2019s List, a political action committee that works to elect Democratic, pro-choice women. She also steered clear of any talk of her political plans Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy thoughts are with Congressman LaMalfa\u2019s wife, Jill, their children, and their entire family today,\u201d Denney said Tuesday in a post on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate his willingness to serve the communities of the North State for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denney\u2019s campaign did not respond to the Press Democrat\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Kyle Wilson, a Santa Rosa labor lawyer who aligns himself with progressive, democratic-socialist candidates<\/a> such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, filed paperwork for his campaign in June.<\/p>\n

Wilson said in a text that while he and LaMalfa often disagreed on policy, \u201che represented this region for many years and was deeply rooted in Northern California.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the days ahead, I hope we can come together to ensure the people of this district continue to have strong, thoughtful representation that meets the challenges families are facing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Echoing McGuire, Wilson said it was \u201ctoo early to speculate about the potential implications of a special election in the old district.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t too early for David McCuan, a professor of political science at Sonoma State University.<\/p>\n

The strongest candidate Republicans might put forward for the special election, McCuan speculated, would be James Gallagher from Yuba City, who until recently was the minority leader of the California Assembly.<\/p>\n

Entering that race might make sense for Gallagher, \u201cbecause he\u2019s termed out\u201d of the Assembly, \u201cand he hasn\u2019t indicated what he wants to do next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gallagher, who didn\u2019t respond to an emailed request for comment Tuesday afternoon, also represents a district that includes Paradise. He worked closely with McGuire \u201con fire recovery and fire resilience\u201d in the wake of the catastrophic 2019 Camp Fire.<\/p>\n

Since then, said McCuan, Gallagher \u201chas gone full MAGA,\u201d and been a virulent critic<\/a> of both McGuire and Newsom.<\/p>\n

McCuan questioned whether it would make much sense for McGuire to enter the special election for the remaining months of LaMalfa\u2019s term, expending resources on a race that will be contested in the old, right-leaning district, in which he would be a pronounced underdog.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Map courtesy CalMatters<\/p>\n

The purple section above shows the current 1st Congressional District in Northern California, now held by Republican U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa. The gold dotted lines show the proposed redrawn 1st district, which would include all of Democratic-leaning Santa Rosa. The redrawn district would be 41% Democrat, 31% Republican and 27% ‘no party preference’ according to redistricting effort documents obtained by The Press Democrat, making it one of five districts Democrats hope to turn blue. (Map courtesy CalMatters)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe x-factor,\u201d said McCuan, is Denney, who \u201chas a better shot\u201d in the special election, he believes, than she will against fellow Democrat McGuire in the June primary leading up to the November runoff.<\/p>\n

Denney\u2019s two loses against LaMalfa were by 9.8 points in 2018, and 14 points in 2020 \u2014 in a district where the Republican was accustomed to ringing up far wider margins of victory.<\/p>\n

A third loss, in the special election, would likely damage Denney\u2019s chances in the June primary, said McCuan.<\/p>\n

LaMalfa first entered politics in 2002, winning a seat in the state Assembly with 67% of the vote, kicking off a 24-year career in which he never lost an election.<\/p>\n

In a release emailed to media just after 7:30 a.m., Mark Spannagel, LaMalfa\u2019s chief of staff, said \u201cEarly this morning Congressman Doug LaMalfa returned home to the Lord.\u00a0 He leaves a lasting legacy of servant leadership kindness to the North State. His humor and work effort are legendary \u2014 with one reporter once saying he\u2019d look in the back yard of every BBQ just to see if Doug was there visiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rep.Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) tours his district near his home in Richvale, where he and many others are rice farmers, on Dec. 8, 2025. LaMalfa’s seat is among the Republican-held districts most endangered by redistricting enabled by California’s Proposition 50 ballot measure. (Max Whittaker\/The New York Times)<\/p>\n

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, who sparred with LaMalfa especially over natural resource and climate policy, expressed sympathy Tuesday following reports of his death.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is incredibly shocking and sad,\u201d said Huffman in a statement. \u201cDoug and I served together for almost two decades in Congress and the State Assembly and were able to accomplish a lot for Northern California. Although we had profound differences, I always admired his dedication to his family and community.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a congressional hearing in 2023, in an exchange with then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, LaMalfa repeatedly cast doubt on the existence of climate change, prompting Huffman to remark, \u201cYou can see that I serve here in Congress with some of the greatest minds of the 19th century.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rep.Rep. Jared Huffman tours ongoing construction for the Llano Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation Project along Llano Rd after visiting the Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant in Santa Rosa Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Beth Schlanker \/ The Press Democrat)<\/p>\n

Later that day, the San Francisco Chronicle reported<\/a>, members of LaMalfa\u2019s staff entered Huffman\u2019s office wearing raccoon-skin hats, and dropped off a \u201cmakeshift scroll addressed to a member of Huffman\u2019s staff,\u201d informing him that LaMalfa would no longer be working with him on a measure to remediate toxic marijuana growth on National Forest System lands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciated his sense of humor,\u201d said Huffman in the statement, \u201cand despite our differences, we were able to remind each other that it wasn\u2019t personal. This is a big loss, and my heart goes out to all who love him.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story includes reporting by the Chico Enterprise-Record.<\/p>\n

You can reach Staff Writer Austin Murphy at austin.murphy@pressdemocrat.com or on Twitter @ausmurph88.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Figures from across the nation and political spectrum expressed shock and sorrow Tuesday over the sudden death of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,64462,339,64463,991],"class_list":{"0":"post-123097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-headlines","10":"tag-california-news","11":"tag-congressman-lamalfa","12":"tag-death","13":"tag-emergency-surgery","14":"tag-redistricting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}