North State Congressman Doug LaMalfa has died after emergency surgery

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who represented California’s first congressional district for more than a decade, is dead at 65. The news was announced by his fellow Republicans on social media before being shared by President Donald Trump in remarks at the Kennedy Center this morning.

“I want to express our tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member, a great, great great member, Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who passed away yesterday, as you have probably heard,” Trump said, calling LaMalfa a fierce champion on California water issues and a true defender of American children before adding, “he voted with me 100% of the time.”

An announcement by the Butte County Sheriff today noted that LaMalfa died at a Chico-area hospital during emergency surgery after being transported following a 911 call. An autopsy to determine his exact cause of death is underway. 

The 65-year-old fourth generation rice farmer — who some refer to more as a landowner due in part to the more than $5 million in federal subsidies his family has received — had won his races for California’s District 1 by significant margins for years. The passage of Prop. 50 last fall was expected to change that, significantly increasing the difficulty of a Republican win in a newly-gerrymandered California.

The Congressman began his political career with a stint in the California State Assembly in 2002 then served in the state Senate from 2010-2012 before winning his first Congressional bid. He was beloved by many in the North State and was known by supporters for his efforts to expand industrial infrastructure on public lands, increase voter ID requirements, and oppose DEI initiatives. 

Last year, LaMalfa showed up for town halls in parts of his district where he was lauded by some while facing steep criticism from others. Detractors and hecklers at his Red Bluff town hall event opposed his failure to push for the release of the Epstein files, his perspectives related to Israel’s assault on Gaza, and his affirmative vote for President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which is expected to take a toll on the rural hospitals that serve his constituents. 

California Assembly member Heather Hadwick, whose district overlaps with LaMafla’s, expressed her condolences for his passing this morning. “Congressman Doug LaMalfa dedicated his life to public service and to fighting for the people of Northern California,” she wrote in an email to her constituents. “He was a man rooted in the land, shaped by rural life, and proud to carry those values with him every day. He didn’t perform rural life — he lived it, and he wore it with pride.” 

LaMalfa’s absence narrows an already thin margin between Republicans and Democrats in the house.

In accordance with California election code, Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to call for a special election within 14 days to fill LaMalfa’s vacancy. The boundaries of that special election will follow California’s pre-Prop. 50 congressional map, meaning that LaMalfa’s current constituents will be voting for his replacement for the remainder of his term, rather than voters in the newly redrawn congressional districts of the North State. The new Prop. 50 map will be applied when voters take to the polls during the June 2 primary, to choose between congressional contenders in the newly formed districts.  

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