MENDOCINO CO., 2/5/26 – President Donald Trump endorsed Assemblymember James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, on Wednesday in the primary race for California’s newly redrawn 1st Congressional District.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump described Gallagher as an “America First Patriot” and said he had Trump’s “complete and total endorsement.”
Trump cited Gallagher’s background as a farmer, attorney and former Sutter County supervisor and said he would prioritize issues including border security, water policy, energy production and gun rights if elected.
Gallagher has represented the 3rd Assembly District since 2014, which includes Butte, Glenn, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba counties, as well as parts of Placer County. His legislative record includes opposition to Democratic climate policies and support for forest management and law enforcement priorities commonly backed by rural counties.
The contest for the 1st Congressional District opened following the January death of longtime Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale.
LaMalfa represented a vast and largely rural region of Northern California that includes Chico, Redding and Yuba City.
Following voter approval of Proposition 50 in November, the district will lose conservative strongholds such as Redding and Modoc County while gaining more Democratic-leaning areas, including parts of Sonoma and inland Mendocino County. New areas added to the district include Hopland, Leggett, Piercy, Boonville, Willits, Ukiah, Laytonville and Covelo.
Before his death, LaMalfa was seeking reelection and facing multiple Democratic challengers, including state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg. Eight days after LaMalfa’s death, Gallagher announced his candidacy for the 1st Congressional District.
Gallagher called Trump’s endorsement an honor on social media. “Having the President’s backing in the race clearly shows my commitment to conservative values,” he said. “I am committed to work with President Trump to lower taxes, reduce costs for families, and bring our great country to prosperity. I’m ready to get to work.”
His lead competitor wasn’t without an opinion on Trump’s endorsement.
McGuire responded Wednesday in a statement released by his campaign, criticizing Trump’s backing of Gallagher and framing the endorsement as evidence of what he described as Gallagher’s alignment with national MAGA politics.
“I guess Donald Trump can’t get enough of losing to California,” McGuire said, citing Trump’s electoral losses in the state. “We beat him with Prop. 50. We beat him in court. And in November, we’re going to beat MAGA minion James Gallagher.”
Mike McGuire is nothing more than a greasy Gavin Newsom impersonator.
Notice McGuire did not address issues or give a positive vision for the future, instead it was Hate Trump and MAGA. That did not work in 2024 general election, so do it all over again? It’s getting really old and tired.
It’s their agenda: return to the Biden years and all that was sooo great back then. Yipper.
McGuire doesn’t have a position yet because the party leadership has not told him what to think or say. Not yet anyway. So far, the polls are not favorable for their issues: open border, illegals vote and get free medical care, trans education for school children, chaos and violence in the streets to protect criminal aliens. There’s more work to be done. Obviously.
Except for the population centers in the western part of the district that have been stretched into western counties by Prop 50 to turn the election, this is a Republican leaning voting bloc. They are now outnumbered. They can still support a Republican candidate. It’s their right. Actually, more diverse representation would help this state to rebuff the over-regulation that causing our higher cost of living.
Check out Kyle Wilson he is running for District 1 and he is running on policies that matter to the everyday Californian. He has my vote!
kyle4congress.org
Thankfully we’re not stuck with the choice between “corporate Democrat” and “MAGA puppet.” Kyle Wilson is a true progressive, not taking any money from corporations.
A “true” progressive is a “progressive, democratic-socialist.” In other words, he is pushing the 100-year proven road to nowhere of Marxist Socialism. Oh yeah, we really need to spread a lot of that around here.