WASHINGTON — The White House is slamming Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “really shameful” decision to take advantage of a House Republican’s death to hobble President Trump’s legislative agenda.
The California Democrat on Friday scheduled a special election more than six months away — on Aug. 4 — to replace the late Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), who died unexpectedly on Jan. 6, leaving Republicans with a 218-213 House majority.
“Gavin Newsom is waiting until the last day, statutorily, that he can call that election,” said James Blair, White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs.
“The reality we have right now is this very narrow majority on both sides,” Blair told The Post. “You see Gavin Newsom, who’s going to keep the seat open in California as long as humanly possible — really shameful thing he’s doing when a rep died there.”
LaMalfa’s unexpected death, along with the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), reduced House Republicans to a five-seat majority — meaning that three defections can doom legislation.
The Northern California district is heavily Republican. LaMalfa won more than 65% of the vote in 2024.
Democrats similarly have complained about Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott allegedly dragging his feet on a special election to replace the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died on March 5. A special election was held on Nov. 4 — nearly eight months after Turner’s death. A runoff is scheduled for Jan. 31 and the certain Democratic victory will further shrink the Republican margin in the House.
Newsom, who is believed to be a leading contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, has positioned himself as a thorn in Trump’s side, and is attending this week’s World Economic Forum events in Davos, Switzerland, in an attempt to undermine and troll the president.
The practical effect of Newsom’s special election scheduling is to give a handful of routinely rebellious House Republicans massive leverage to demand concessions — particularly due to libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) often opposing bills over their cost, foreign focus or constitutional qualms.
Republicans rammed through most of Trump’s signature 2024 campaign promises — including reducing taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits — last year in a budget reconciliation package that passed with only Republican votes.
Congress can pass one budget reconciliation bill each year under special rules that bypass the usual 60-vote hurdle in the Senate and this year’s package could include Trump’s attempts to boost voters’ take-home pay, potentially including $2,000 checks funded with tariff revenue.
Newsom’s spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.
