Doug LaMalfa, a California Republican who represented the state’s rural northern region in the House of Representatives and was known for his work on water and forestry policy, has died at age 65, according to statements from Republican officials.
LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer who previously served in the California state legislature, was in his seventh term representing California’s first congressional district. He sat on the House agriculture, natural resources, and transportation and infrastructure committees.
No cause of death has been announced, but the Butte county sheriff’s office announced that LaMalfa died during an emergency surgical procedure at a local hospital after emergency responders transported him there on Monday evening.
The sheriff’s office said in a statement that it had received a call about a medical emergency at LaMalfa’s home shortly before 7pm on 5 January. He was transported to a hospital in Chico, where he underwent emergency surgery and died during the procedure.
The National Republican Congressional Committee chair, Richard Hudson, said he was “deeply saddened by the passing of my colleague and close friend”.
“Doug was a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of northern California,” Hudson said in a statement. “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.”
His sudden passing reduces the House Republican majority to 218-213, leaving GOP leadership with an even slimmer margin to pass their legislative agenda. After the departure of representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on Monday, Republicans can now afford to lose only two votes on party-line measures.
The House majority whip, Tom Emmer of Minnesota, paid tribute to LaMalfa in a statement posted on social media.
“Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” Emmer said. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”
The news of LaMalfa’s passing came minutes before Donald Trump was scheduled to speak to the House Republicans at a GOP retreat at the Kennedy Center in Washington, and Trump said he dedicated the speech to him.
“I was really saddened by his passing, and was thinking about not even doing the speech in his honor, but then decided that I have to do it in his honor,” Trump told the lawmakers. “I’ll do it in his honor, because he would have wanted it that way.”
LaMalfa was a longtime Trump ally who challenged the 2020 election outcome, voting against certifying the result. He drew criticism, and praise, for his skepticism on the climate crisis and its cause. Representing a district that had been hit by numerous deadly wildfires in recent years, he had championed legislation halting federal taxes on fire recovery settlements.
LaMalfa was born and raised in northern California and had represented the region in Congress since 2013. In 2025, he was elected unanimously to serve as the chair of the Congressional Western caucus, which advocates for the west and rural areas more broadly.
He had announced plans to run for re-election but was expected to face a challenging race after the passage of Proposition 50, a redistricting measure that changed the boundaries of LaMalfa’s district and others to give Democrats an advantage. The proposition came after Texas’s partisan gerrymander, and LaMalfa was critical of both efforts.
“No state should be doing mid-decade redistricting unless directed by a court or forced to. Voters in California have voted overwhelmingly twice to prevent partisan redistricting,” he said last year.
In a statement announcing LaMalfa’s death, his chief of staff, Mark Spannagel, said the congressman “leaves a lasting legacy of servant leadership kindness to the North State”.
“His humor and work effort are legendary – with one reporter once saying he’d look in the back yard of every BBQ just to see if Doug was there visiting,” Spannagel said. “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.”
