Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a rice farmer who represented California in the U.S. House of Representatives, died Tuesday, according to House GOP leaders. He was 65 years old. The cause of death has not yet been announced. LaMalfa had served as the U.S. Representative for California’s 1st Congressional District since 2013.

A reliably conservative vote in the House, LaMalfa was closely aligned with former President Donald Trump during his tenure. He supported Trump during both impeachment proceedings and maintained a lifetime score of 76 percent from Heritage Action, a prominent conservative advocacy group. Voting records show that LaMalfa sided with Trump on nearly 100% of legislative priorities, reinforcing his reputation as a dependable member of the Republican caucus.

California’s 1st Congressional District currently holds a Cook Political Voting Index rating of R+12, and Gambit Forecaster categorizes the seat as Solid R. While Republicans are widely expected to retain the district, which covers much of rural eastern Northern California, upcoming changes could introduce uncertainty. The Democratic-controlled State Assembly passed new congressional maps into law last year that are scheduled to take effect by the midterms next year. How the redistricting will alter the district’s voter composition remains unclear, but it could significantly affect Republican chances of retaining the seat.

LaMalfa’s death further narrows the Republican majority in the House, with the current composition now standing at 218 Republicans to 213 Democrats. Speaker Mike Johnson can now afford to lose only two Republican votes on any party-line legislation. There are also two additional vacant House seats at present, following the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner and the election of Rep. Mikie Sherrill as governor of New Jersey. A special election to fill Sherrill’s seat is expected to be scheduled in the coming months.

This article was written by Sam Massey.