The United States of America Republican Representative Doug LaMalfa of California has died at the age of 65, a fellow lawmaker, Richard Hudson said on Tuesday.
This deals another blow to Republicans’ already narrow majority in the House of Representatives ahead of the November elections that will determine control of Congress, Reuters reported.
“Doug was a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California,” Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who chairs House Republicans’ campaign arm, said in a statement announcing LaMalfa’s death.
LaMalfa’s sudden passing further reduces House Republicans’ majority to 218–213, coming just a day after the resignation of Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Democrats are also expected to gain an additional seat following a January 31 runoff election to replace the late Representative Sylvester Turner of Texas.
First elected in 2012, LaMalfa represented a largely rural Northern California district and won re-election easily in subsequent races.
However, Democrats in California redrew his district last year into territory that Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris would have won by 10 points in the 2024 election, according to Reuters.
President Donald Trump had carried LaMalfa’s original district by 25 points in the same election.
House Democrats acknowledged LaMalfa’s death on Tuesday, observing a moment of silence during an unofficial hearing marking the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
LaMalfa’s death adds fresh uncertainty to the balance of power in the House as both parties brace for a high-stakes election year, Reuters concluded.
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