GOP House Majority Secured
Republican James Gallagher Wins Special Election for California's 1st District, Bolstering House GOP Majority
Republican Assemblyman James Gallagher has won California’s 1st Congressional District special election to fill the remaining term of the late Rep. Doug LaMalfa, avoiding an August runoff with about 62% of the vote. LaMalfa died in January at age 65, and Gallagher’s victory would give Republicans another vote to shore up a slim House majority as he is sworn in for the rest of the year. While Gallagher appears to be headed for an incumbency advantage in the special-election contest, Proposition 50-era redistricting has made the post-2026 version of the district more competitive for Democrats. In the separate November race for the reshaped seat, early results show state Sen. Mike McGuire and Gallagher leading, while Democrat Audrey Denney trails. McGuire’s campaign says it intends to flip the seat, though the November election looks likely to lead to a runoff between McGuire and Gallagher.
Key Points
Doug LaMalfa died on Jan. 6 after suffering a heart attack following an aortic dissection, and Gallagher described it as “a mix of emotions,” saying he was “missing Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who is a mentor to me.”
NBC News projected that, once sworn in, Gallagher would give Republicans 218 House votes to Democrats’ 212, with four vacancies and one independent who caucuses with Republicans.
Gallagher entered the special election as a LaMalfa protégé endorsed by multiple Republican figures, including LaMalfa’s widow and President Donald Trump.
In the separate race for the reshaped seat, McGuire’s campaign treated Tuesday’s early results as a message that Democrats can win the seat, sending out: “Tonight’s numbers speak for themselves…Come this November, we will flip this seat.”
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