LaMalfa death leaves California House seat vacant; what happens next

California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s unexpected death on Monday has created a vacancy in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, according to the Associated Press. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has some control over when the seat will be filled.

With LaMalfa’s seat vacant, Republicans’ narrow majority in the House shrinks to 218 seats over Democrats’ 213. The AP reported that the majority could be reduced further as Democrats are expected to win another seat in a special election in Texas later this month, which would leave Republicans with less room for dissent as Speaker Mike Johnson tries to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda ahead of the midterm elections.

The next step is controlled by California law. Under the AP’s account, Newsom has 14 days to set a date for a special election to fill the remainder of LaMalfa’s term, but he can leave the seat vacant for a few months.

Newsom could, the AP reported, set the special election as early as May or opt for June, when California holds its primary for the 2026 midterm. In that primary, the AP said the top two candidates face off in a runoff election if no one gets at least 50% of the vote, meaning LaMalfa’s constituents could be asked to choose two representatives in 2026—one to finish LaMalfa’s term and another to serve starting in 2027.

The AP also said the timing of the election interacts with California’s new congressional district map. California voters approved new U.S. House district lines in November outside the typical once-a-decade redistricting process, and the AP said Democrats pushed for the map in an effort to oust LaMalfa and four other Republicans.

The report described LaMalfa’s current district as covering a vast portion of rural North California—from the Oregon border down to just north of the capital of Sacramento. Under the new lines, the AP said several conservative strongholds in rural north are grouped with progressive areas along the Pacific coastline, including Marin County, which the AP said sits across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

For the special election, the AP said Paul Mitchell, a state elections expert who helped draw the new maps, noted that the special election would be held under existing House boundaries. For the 2026 midterm elections, however, the AP reported that the new district lines—designed to favor Democrats and approved last November—will be used.

The AP said LaMalfa had planned to run for re-election. As of the story’s publication, the AP reported that no major Republicans had announced plans to seek the seat, and it said it was not immediately clear whether any of the earlier midterm challengers would switch to the special election.

Specifically, the AP said Democrat Audrey Denney and state Sen. Mike McGuire had both previously announced plans to challenge LaMalfa in the midterm elections. The AP added that it was not immediately clear whether either of them would run in the special election.