{"id":2530467,"date":"2026-01-06T10:49:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T15:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-rep-doug-lamalfa-dies-at-65\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T10:49:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T15:49:50","slug":"california-rep-doug-lamalfa-dies-at-65","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-rep-doug-lamalfa-dies-at-65\/","title":{"rendered":"California Rep. Doug LaMalfa dies at 65"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-rep-doug-lamalfa-dies-at-65%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2530467&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep.Doug LaMalfa, 65, who had represented california&#8217;s 1st Congressional District since 2013, died suddenly Tuesday, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said. LaMalfa, a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >fourth\u2011generation rice farmer<\/a> from Richvale and longtime advocate for rural communities, served in the California State Assembly (first elected 2002) and state Senate (2010) and chaired the congressional Western Caucus. Colleagues across the aisle, including NRCC chair Richard Hudson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, praised his dedication to farmers, rural families and public service; Emmer asked for prayers for LaMalfa&#8217;s wife, Jill, and their children. LaMalfa was seeking an eighth term in 2026 and faced Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire; his district,long conservative and largely agricultural,became more competitive after california&#8217;s Proposition 50 redrew lines. LaMalfa won reelection in 2024 with nearly two\u2011thirds of the vote.His death narrows the House Republican majority to 218-213 following Rep. Marjorie Taylor greene&#8217;s recent retirement, tightening margins for Speaker mike johnson.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">California Rep. Doug LaMalfa dies at 65<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2464209\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3868158\/california-doug-lamalfa-proposition-50-silence-rural-voices\/\">Doug LaMalfa (R-CA)<\/a>, who has represented <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\">California&rsquo;s<\/a> 1st Congressional District since 2013, died Tuesday at 65.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\/\">House<\/a> Majority Whip <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tom-emmer\/\">Tom Emmer<\/a> (R-MN) confirmed the congressman&rsquo;s death on X, writing that it was a &ldquo;sudden loss.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4407936\/watch-live-house-democrats-hold-hearing-marking-january-6-anniversary\/\">WATCH LIVE: House Democrats hold hearing marking Jan. 6 anniversary<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4407344\/trump-heavyweights-capitol-hill-burning-questions-venezuela\/\">Trump heavyweights descend on Capitol Hill: Burning questions from lawmakers on Venezuela<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4407306\/mike-collins-house-ethics-committee-investigation\/\">Ethics Committee extends inquiry into Mike Collins and his chief of staff<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,&rdquo; Emmer said in a post. &ldquo;Our prayers are with Doug&rsquo;s wife, Jill, and their children.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jacquie and I are 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. Our prayers are with Doug&rsquo;s wife, Jill, and their children. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NsnxZsp2W3\">pic.twitter.com\/NsnxZsp2W3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tom Emmer (@GOPMajorityWhip) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GOPMajorityWhip\/status\/2008545427080311026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 6, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The House Republican Conference also <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HouseGOP\/status\/2008548224055828761\">issued a statement<\/a> mourning its deceased member, praising him for his two decades in politics.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Doug was a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California,&rdquo; National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) said. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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 &lsquo;amigo,&#8217;&rdquo; Hudson added.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats are also mourning LaMalfa&rsquo;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 &ldquo;great member of Congress.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A fourth-generation rice farmer from Richvale,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\">California<\/a>,&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n<p>He told the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3868158\/california-doug-lamalfa-proposition-50-silence-rural-voices\/\"><em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in October 2025<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I was happy to be the sign guy,&rdquo; 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.<\/p>\n<p>The day the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n<p>He was seeking an eighth term in 2026 and was facing Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire, a former president pro tempore. LaMalfa&rsquo;s seat was one of five Republicans targeted under California&rsquo;s plan to redistrict as a way to offset gerrymandering in Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have long coveted his seat, but their chances improved drastically after Proposition 50 passed in November 2025. This altered California&rsquo;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.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/are-covid-case-surges-more-fake-news\/\" title=\"Are COVID Case Surges More Fake News?\">vast majority<\/a> of the 1st District&rsquo;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.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3868158\/california-doug-lamalfa-proposition-50-silence-rural-voices\/\"><strong>DOUG LAMALFA WARNS PROPOSITION 50 COULD SILENCE CALIFORNIA&rsquo;S RURAL VOICES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>LaMalfa won reelection in 2024 with nearly two-thirds of the vote. But with Prop 50&rsquo;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.<\/p>\n<p>With LaMalfa&rsquo;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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-jan-6-commission-purely-political-exercise\/\" title=\"McConnell: Jan. 6 Commission &#039;Purely Political Exercise&#039;\">midterm election year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California Rep. Doug LaMalfa dies at 65<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4129,"featured_media":2530468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/lamalfa.jpeg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,61139,32229,32085,66603],"class_list":["post-2530467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-doug-lamalfa","tag-obituary","tag-republican-party","tag-u-s-house-of-representatives"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/lamalfa.jpeg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4129"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2530467"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2530471,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530467\/revisions\/2530471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2530468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2530467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2530467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2530467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}