2026 California's 1st congressional district special election

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2026 California's 1st congressional district special election
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California's 1st congressional district
Incumbent U.S. Representative

Vacant



A special election for California's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives will be held on a date to be determined in 2026 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Governor Gavin Newsom has not yet scheduled dates for the election, with the latest possible date expected to be June 2, coinciding with the state's primary elections. [4] This election is not expected to take place under the new congressional map established by Proposition 50, which does not become official until after the June primary. [4]

Background

Redistricting and scheduling

In 2025, California voters passed Proposition 50, an amendment to California's constitution that supplanted the map created by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) with a map that favors Democratic candidates. As a result, District 1 was redrawn to favor Democrats much more, removing the Republican-leaning rural counties of Modoc and Siskiyou along with the Redding and Yuba–Sutter metropolitan areas, while adding the Democratic-leaning city of Santa Rosa. [5] In the 2024 presidential election, the newly redrawn 1st district voted for Kamala Harris by a margin of 54.5–42.3. [6] Doug LaMalfa intended to seek reelection to the 1st district despite the new map. [7] [8]

Per the constitution of California, Governor Gavin Newsom must schedule an election within two weeks of a vacancy. The election must be held between 126 and 140 days after, placing the special election in May or June. [9] The congressional map drawn by Proposition 50 is set to become official following the state's primary on June 2. [4] The special election is expected to take place under the map drawn by the CCRC as a result. [4] Though most special elections use old district lines before a redistricting cycle, some elections in the past have used newly drawn maps, including a special election for Nebraska's 1st district in 2022. [9]

Republican control of the House

LaMalfa died one day after the resignation of Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, bringing the total Republicans in the House of Representatives to a bare majority of 218, opposed to the 213 Democrats and 4 vacancies. [9] [10] News agencies, including The Wall Street Journal and Politico , noted that this narrow margin puts additional strain on the Republican majority and Speaker Mike Johnson, as the Republicans can only lose two votes, placing increased prominence on the special election. [11] [12]

Nonpartisan blanket primary

Candidates

Declared

Potential

Endorsements

References

  1. ↑ Ferris, Sarah. "California GOP Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies at 65". CNN . Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  2. ↑ Gedeon, Joseph. "Doug LaMalfa, California Republican congressman, dies aged 65". The Guardian . Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  3. ↑ Feinberg, Andrew. "California GOP Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies unexpectedly at age 65". The Independent . Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Holden, Lindsey (January 6, 2026). "A shocking death and a special election". Politico . Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  5. ↑ Battaglia, Roman; Grossi, Sarina (October 29, 2025). "From cattle country to wine country: How Prop 50 could reshape California's 1st District". Jefferson Public Radio. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  6. ↑ "CA 2026 Congressional". Daves Redistricting. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  7. ↑ Arthur, Damon (August 20, 2025). "Who's running for Congress in the district LaMalfa represents, so far". Record Searchlight. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  8. ↑ Hamann, Emily. "California District Map Shakeup Puts GOP Seats in Jeopardy". State Affairs. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Nir, David; Singer, Jeff. "Morning Digest: Here's how Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa's seat will be filled". The Downballot. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  10. ↑ Karni, Annie (January 6, 2026). "LaMalfa's Death Further Depletes House G.O.P. Majority". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  11. ↑ Hill, Meredith Lee (January 6, 2026). "The House GOP confronts a shocking loss and a difficult road ahead". POLITICO. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  12. ↑ Beavers, Olivia (January 6, 2026). "GOP Lawmaker's Death Pressures Republican Majority". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Mejia, Alejandro Mejia (January 14, 2026). "Assemblyman James Gallagher announces bid for District 1 seat". Action News Now. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  14. ↑ Miller, Maya C. (January 9, 2026). "Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a steadfast advocate for California's North State, dies at 65". CalMatters .
  15. 1 2 Magri, Ken (January 9, 2026). "Butte County remembers late representative Doug LaMalfa". Chico News & Review . Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Nguyễn, Trân (January 6, 2026). "California Rep. Doug LaMalfa's death leaves a vacant House seat. What happens next?". Associated Press . Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Graham, Andrew; Russell, Lia (January 14, 2026). "This assemblymember announces run to finish LaMalfa's term in Congress". The Sacramento Bee . Retrieved January 15, 2026.
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