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Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., died unexpectedly at the age of 65, colleagues announced Tuesday.
President Donald Trump paid tribute to LaMalfa, saying he wanted to “express our great sadness at the loss of a great member – a great, great, great member.”
The cause of the congressman’s death was not immediately clear. LaMalfa is a former rice farmer who was elected to Congress in 2013. His tenure focused on water and agriculture issues.
His death slashed the already slim Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives to just a few seats after former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned on Monday.
“He’s a great guy,” Trump said. “He voted with me 100 percent of the time.”
Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer called his colleague “a strong advocate for his constituents and rural America.”
LaMalfa earned a degree in agricultural business from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
Before being elected to Congress, he served as a state legislator fighting for fire victims in Northern California and “working to protect families from over-regulation and ensure that American farmers and ranchers can continue to feed the world,” according to his congressional website.
Greene’s resignation and LaMalfa’s death gave Republicans a 218-213 majority, meaning they only had a two-vote cushion — and if three people didn’t vote or sided with Democrats, Republicans would lose.
Within hours of Tuesday’s announcement of LaMalfa’s death, news emerged that another Republican congressman had been hospitalized after a car crash.
Indiana Congressman Jim Baird is recovering and “expected to make a full recovery,” according to a statement posted on social media.
There are currently four vacancies in the House, and Democrats hope to fill two of them — a special election in Texas in late January and a special election in New Jersey in the spring.
Under California law, Gov. Gavin Newsom will have 14 days to call a special election to fill LaMalfa’s seat.
