Search Articles
(CN) — Governor Gavin Newsom announced, on Friday, that California will hold a special election to replace Congressman Doug LaMalfa, a Republican, who died earlier this month.
The primary for the seat will be held June 2 during the state’s regular primary election, when voters will also choose a new governor. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two finishers will face off in a runoff on Aug. 4.
Aug. 4 is the latest date allowed under state law for the election to be held, a timeline that could affect House Speaker Mike Johnson’s ability to pass legislation, as Republicans hold a narrow five-seat majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
For residents of California’s 1st Congressional District — covering the state’s northeastern region, including Chico, Redding and Yuba City — the coming year will bring a complex slate of ballot choices.
In June, voters will choose a candidate to fill the remainder of LaMalfa’s term, which lasts just five months, and separately elect a Congressman for the following two-year term. The winners of those races are likely to be different, since the former 1st Congressional District reliably favors Republicans, while the newly redrawn district leans solidly Democratic.
California redrew its congressional boundaries last year after voters approved Proposition 50, a move partly aimed at countering redistricting in Texas. Both efforts are expected to net the majority party about five seats. In California, one of those soon-to-flip districts is the 1st, which will soon run from deep blue, affluent Santa Rosa to Chico.
The new map will be used to elect LaMalfa’s permanent replacement for a full two-year term, while the old map will govern the election of his temporary, five-month successor.
Republican State Assemblyman James Gallagher, a one-time LaMalfa staffer, has announced that he’ll be running for his former boss’ old seat. There is a good chance he will not face a serious competitor and win the seat outright in June.
The contest for the seat’s two-year term is expected to be more competitive. California Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, a Democrat from Santa Rosa, had already announced his candidacy prior to LaMalfa’s death.
LaMalfa, a fourth-generation rice farmer who served in Congress since 2012, died from medical complications during surgery. He was 65.
Follow @hillelaronSubscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.