Anti-LGBTQ+ Republican congressman from California dies suddenly

U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican lawmaker representing California, whose career included his opposition to marriage equality and transgender rights, died suddenly this week at 65, according to the House GOP. His death further narrows an already fragile Republican majority in the U.S. House and removes a central figure in the party’s escalating campaign against trans rights.

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"House Republicans mourn the loss of Congressman Doug LaMalfa,” the party wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "He proudly represented California’s 1st Congressional District from 2013 to 2026, serving as Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican, wrote in a statement that “Congress is devastated to learn this morning about the passing of our dear friend and colleague."

According to Sacramento ABC affiliate KXTV, LaMalfa died during emergency surgery on Monday at Enloe Hospital after an ambulance transported him following a medical emergency at his home.

LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer, represented his largely rural district for seven terms in Congress. While he was long regarded as an authority on water, forestry, and agricultural policy, he also focused his legislative attacks on transgender people — particularly trans youth.

Over the past decade, LaMalfa became a vocal supporter of efforts to roll back LGBTQ+ equality in California and nationally. The Sacramento Bee editorial board documented his support for ballot measures that sought to ban marriage equality and later criticized his public comments opposing protections for transgender students, language local advocates described as transphobic and harmful to vulnerable youth.

In Congress, LaMalfa repeatedly introduced and promoted bills aimed at restricting access to gender-affirming medical care for minors, including the Protecting Children from Experimentation Act. In press statements published by his congressional office, LaMalfa characterized such care as “medical experimentation,” a framing that major medical organizations and LGBTQ+ health experts have rejected as false and stigmatizing.

LaMalfa was one of the lawmakers who helped drive the broader surge in anti-trans legislation nationwide, part of a political strategy that civil rights groups warn has intensified harassment, discrimination, and health risks for transgender Americans.

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader from New York, issued a statement in remembrance of LaMalfa.

"I join people across Northern California in mourning the untimely passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa," Jeffries wrote. "Doug and I joined the Congress as classmates in 2013, and it was an honor to witness firsthand his passion and personal resolve for more than a decade."

House GOP leaders praised LaMalfa as a devoted public servant and family man. His death leaves Republicans with a 218–213 majority and is expected to trigger a high-stakes special election.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with remarks from House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.