The death of California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa has created a House vacancy and handed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom control over when the seat will be filled, with state law giving him up to several months to call a special election. LaMalfa’s death on Monday shrinks the Republican majority to 218 seats against Democrats’ 213, leaving Speaker Mike Johnson with less room for defections as he works to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Newsom’s timing decision carries direct consequences for the Republican majority: the longer he waits, the longer the House operates short a vote, with Democrats also expected to pick up a Texas seat in a separate special election later this month.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The death of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa has left California’s rural north without House representation and handed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom control over when a replacement will be chosen. LaMalfa died Monday, shrinking the Republican House majority to 218 seats against Democrats’ 213, according to the Associated Press.
The reduced margin leaves Speaker Mike Johnson with less room for defections as he works to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda. Democrats are also expected to win a separate vacant seat in a special election in Texas later this month, which would narrow the margin further, the AP reported.
Newsom’s timing decision carries direct consequences for how long Republicans hold their diminished majority: the longer the seat sits vacant, the more exposed the caucus becomes to defections on close votes.
When and how the seat will be filled
Under California law, Newsom has 14 days to set a date for a special election to fill the remainder of LaMalfa’s term, the AP reported. He can, however, delay calling the election for several months.
Newsom could schedule the contest as early as May or align it with California’s June primary — when the state’s top-two primary system sends the leading vote-getters into a runoff if neither clears 50 percent. LaMalfa’s constituents would then face two separate choices in 2026: one race to complete the current term, and a second — under the newly redrawn district — to choose a representative beginning in 2027.
District lines split the elections
The special election will use LaMalfa’s current district boundaries, which cover a wide expanse of rural northern California running from the Oregon border south to just north of Sacramento, according to Paul Mitchell, a state elections expert who helped draw the new congressional maps.
California voters approved new U.S. House district lines in November outside the typical once-a-decade redistricting process, part of a Democratic effort to unseat LaMalfa and four other Republican incumbents. The revised maps group conservative rural north counties with progressive coastal communities, including Marin County, which sits across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Those lines will govern the 2026 general election but not the special election for LaMalfa’s unexpired term.
Who might run
No major Republicans had announced plans to seek the seat as of Tuesday, the AP reported.
Democrat Audrey Denney, who had previously lost to LaMalfa, and state Sen. Mike McGuire had each announced plans to challenge LaMalfa in the 2026 midterm. Whether either intends to enter the special election was not immediately clear, the AP reported.