LEILA FADEL, HOST:
As we mentioned earlier, Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa died on Tuesday during an emergency surgery. He was 65. LaMalfa is being remembered as a conservative advocate for constituents in rural Northern California. From member station KQED, Guy Marzorati reports.
GUY MARZORATI, BYLINE: LaMalfa was a fourth-generation rice farmer who loved bringing colleagues up to his Butte County home. In 2021, he even joined a House agriculture committee hearing on his phone while sitting atop his combine harvester.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DOUG LAMALFA: Secretary, thanks for being with our hearing today as I come from our combine at North Cal.
MARZORATI: LaMalfa served 13 years in Congress after several years in the state legislature. He was an ardent supporter of building more reservoirs to store water for California farms, which won praise Tuesday from President Trump.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It was the leader of the western caucus, a fierce champion on California water issues. He was great on water. He wanted - release the water. He'd scream out.
MARZORATI: LaMalfa represented a sprawling Northern California district about the size of West Virginia.
JAMES GALLAGHER: He would be at every community function, and he would go to the furthest parts of the district.
MARZORATI: State Assembly member James Gallagher said LaMalfa was everywhere.
GALLAGHER: And he did it sometimes probably exceeding the speed limit while he did (laughter).
MARZORATI: Gallagher remembered LaMalfa's work after the 2018 campfire - the deadliest in California history - which wiped out the town of Paradise.
GALLAGHER: He came through with major federal funding for debris removal, for recovery of the water system.
MARZORATI: LaMalfa's death leaves Republicans in Congress with just a five-seat majority. California Governor Gavin Newsom will soon call a special election for the seat, which is likely to remain in Republican hands, but that could change within a matter of months. Diana Dwyre, professor of political science at Cal State Chico, says the lines of LaMalfa's district are changing under Proposition 50, the redistricting measure passed by California voters last year.
DIANA DWYRE: This is one of the districts that was drawn in order to flip it to the Democratic side.
MARZORATI: That means whoever fills LaMalfa's seat might only be there for a short amount of time with elections under the new lines already planned for November. For NPR News, I'm Guy Marzorati in San Jose.
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