GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa dies at 65

WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a rice farmer who served in political office in California for more than two decades, died suddenly, House GOP leaders said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a rice farmer who served in political office in California for more than two decades, died suddenly, House GOP leaders said Tuesday. He was 65.

“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House Republican, said in a post on X. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”

The cause of death was not immediately clear.

LaMalfa's death was a shock to friends and colleagues on Capitol Hill.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was roommates with LaMalfa in the state legislature in Sacramento and later served with him in Congress, told NBC News he was "devastated."