In honor of a “true American patriot,” President Donald Trump ordered flags be flown at half-staff across the country until Wednesday evening for the late California Congressman Doug LaMalfa.
“Doug will be dearly missed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
LaMalfa, who represented the Golden State’s 1st Congressional District since 2013, died suddenly on Tuesday morning.
“Early this morning Congressman Doug LaMalfa returned home to the Lord. He leaves a lasting legacy of servant leadership [and] kindness to the North State,” a statement from LaMalfa’s chief of staff, Mark Spannagel, said.
While LaMalfa’s death is under investigation, a friend of the 65-year-old told Action News that the congressman suffered from a local aortic aneurysm and died during surgery at Enloe Health in Chico.
LaMalfa was a fourth generation rice farmer and business owner who focused on addressing rural issues.
So what happens next?
California Governor Gavin Newsom must call for a special election within 14 calendar days of the vacancy. The election has to take place on a Tuesday between 126 days and 140 days following the proclamation, according to state law.
Paul Mitchell, a state elections expert who helped draw the Prop 50 redistricting map, noted on social media that the special election for LaMalfa will still use the old map.
“In case of a vacancy after a redistricting, but before those new lines are used, the replacement election is held in the OLD lines,” Mitchell said.
Under the new map, LaMalfa’s district that covered from the Oregon border down to near the state Capitol in Sacramento, will stretch west and gain more Democratic voters.
The 2026 midterms will use the voter-approved Prop 50 redistricting map that aims to send more Democrats to Washington.
