Jared William Huffman (born February 18, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the
U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for
California's 2nd congressional district
California's 2nd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in California. Jared Huffman, a Democrat, has represented the district since January 2013. Currently, it encompasses the North Coast region and adjacent areas of the st ...
since 2013. He is a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
.
From 2006 to 2012, Huffman was a member of the
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The A ...
, representing the
6th district. He chaired the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee and the Assembly Environmental Caucus. He was elected to Congress in 2012 with more than 70% of the vote, defeating Republican nominee Dan Roberts.
His congressional district covers the North Coast from the
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...
to the
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
border.
Early life, education, and legal career
Huffman graduated from
William Chrisman High School
William Chrisman High School is a high school located in Independence, Missouri, United States, as part of the Independence School District.
History
The school was founded in 1888 and was known as Independence High School. The first building was ...
in 1982 and in 1986 received his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in political science ''
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
'' from
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...
, where he was a member of the
Phi Delta Theta Fraternity
Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. T ...
. At UCSB, Huffman was a three-time All-American volleyball player. He was a member of the
USA Volleyball
USA Volleyball (USAV) is a non-profit organization which is recognized as the national governing body of volleyball in the United States by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It i ...
Team in 1987 when the team was ranked #1 in the world and had recently won the World Championship. He graduated ''cum laude'' from
Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
With approximately 800 studen ...
in 1990.
Huffman became a consumer attorney specializing in public interest cases. Among his court victories was a case on behalf of the
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...
, which required all
California State University
The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
campuses to comply with
Title IX
Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
. Huffman was a senior attorney for the
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bo ...
. He was also a publicly elected director of the
Marin Municipal Water District
The Marin Municipal Water District (or MMWD) is the government agency that provides drinking water to southern and central Marin County, California. Chartered in 1912, it became California's first municipal water district. It serves 191,000 custom ...
for 12 years, including three terms as board president.
California State Assembly
Elections
Huffman won the Democratic nomination for the 6th district in a hotly contested June 2006 primary in which he surprised the political establishment with a victory over Pamela Torliatt, a
Petaluma
Petaluma (Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census.
Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village nam ...
city councilwoman, and Cynthia Murray, a Marin County Supervisor who was initially considered the front-runner. Huffman also defeated Assistant State Attorney General Damon Connelly,
Marin County
Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...
Democratic Chairman John Alden, and sociologist Alex Easton-Brown.
Huffman defeated Republican nominee Michael Hartnett by a more than 2:1 margin in the 2006 general election.
Huffman faced two opponents in the 2008 general election: Republican Paul Lavery and Libertarian Timothy Hannan. He won with 70% of the vote, and the 137,873 votes he received were among the most by any California Assembly candidate in 2008. In the
Democratic primary, Huffman was unopposed and received 57,213 votes—the most of any California Assemblymember in that election.
In the
June 2010 California primary, Huffman defeated
Patrick Connally. He defeated Republican nominee Robert Stephens in the general election
with more than 70% of the vote—the highest winning margin of any candidate on the ballot in the North Bay that year. Due to term limits, Huffman was unable to seek a fourth Assembly term in 2012.
Tenure
In his first four years as a legislator, Huffman authored and passed more than 40 pieces of legislation. In 2008, he sponsored a bill (AB 2950), which he wrote with internet attorney
Daniel Balsam
Daniel Balsam is an United States of America, American lawyer best known for his lawsuits against e-mail Spam (electronic), spammers for violations of Internet spam laws. Balsam has been filing lawsuits against spammers since 2002 and has earned ov ...
, that aimed to close what its proponents characterized as loopholes in the
CAN-SPAM
The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act of 2003 is a law passed in 2003 establishing the United States' first national standards for the sending of commercial e-mail. The law requires the Federal Tra ...
Act that made it more difficult to bring lawsuits against deceptive spammers.
The bill passed the State Assembly and Senate, but Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
vetoed it. On February 14, 2011, Huffman co-sponsored a bill with
Paul Fong
Paul Fong () (born August 5, 1952) is an American politician. He is a former Democratic California State Assembly member from the 28th district. As a former Assemblymember, Fong continues to fight for the rights of workers to a living wage and ...
, California Assembly Bill 376, to make it illegal to possess, distribute, or sell shark fins, except for research or commercial purposes.
Committee assignments
Upon his swearing-in on December 4, 2006, Assembly Speaker
Fabian Núñez
Fabian Núñez (also transcribed variously as Fabián Núñez, Fabian Nuñez and Fabian Nunez; born December 27, 1966) is an American politician and labor union adviser. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three two-year terms as a mem ...
named Huffman chair of the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. In August 2008, the new Assembly Speaker,
Karen Bass
Karen Ruth Bass (; born October 3, 1953) is an American politician, social worker and former physician assistant who is serving as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass had previously served in the U.S ...
, named Huffman to chair the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2012
After 20-year incumbent
Lynn Woolsey
Lynn C. Woolsey (born November 3, 1937) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, her district included all of Marin County and most of Sonoma County.
She was a me ...
announced her retirement, Huffman entered the race to run for her seat in the
2nd district, which had been renumbered from the 6th in redistricting. California's 2nd congressional district now covers six counties:
Marin
Marin (French) or Marín (Spanish "sailor") may refer to:
People
* Marin (name), including a list of persons with the given name or surname
* MaRin, in-game name of professional South Korean ''League of Legends'' player Jang Gyeong-hwan (born 19 ...
,
Sonoma,
Mendocino,
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
,
Humboldt, and
Del Norte.
Huffman finished first in the top-two primary, with 37% of the vote. In November, he defeated Republican candidate Dan Roberts 71%–29%.
2014
In his first reelection campaign, Huffman dominated the open primary, receiving 67.9% of the vote against 22.3% for second-place finisher Dale Mensing, a Republican. He defeated Mensing in the general election, 75% to 25%.
2016
Huffman defeated Mensing again, receiving 68.3% of the primary vote to Mensing's 15.7% and 76.5% of the general election vote to Mensing's 23.5%.
2018
Huffman defeated Mensing a third time, with 72.5% of the primary vote to Mensing's 20.9% and 77.0% of the vote in the general election.
2020
Huffman defeated Mensing a fourth time, with 67.7% of the primary vote to Mensing's 18.9% and 75.7% of the general election vote.
Tenure
In April 2018, Huffman,
Jerry McNerney
Gerald Mark McNerney (born June 18, 1951) is an American businessman, politician, and the U.S. representative for , from 2007 until 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district, numbered as the 11th district until 2013, was bas ...
,
Jamie Raskin
Jamin Ben Raskin (born December 13, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 8th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the Maryland State Senate fr ...
, and
Dan Kildee
Daniel Timothy Kildee (; born August 11, 1958) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 5th congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
From 1977 to 2009, Kildee was a municipal ...
launched the
Congressional Freethought Caucus
The Congressional Freethought Caucus is a membership organization in the United States House of Representatives established to promote policy solutions based on reason and science, and to defend the secular character of government. Representatives ...
. Its stated goals include "pushing public policy formed on the basis of reason, science, and moral values"; promoting the "separation of church and state"; and opposing discrimination against "atheists, agnostics, humanists, seekers, religious and non-religious persons", among others. Huffman and Raskin are co-chairs.
In the aftermath of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...
's vote to draft a document regarding Catholic politicians' worthiness to receive Communion. Huffman accused the Church of "weaponizing" its religion, and suggested that it should lose its tax-exempt status.
As of October 2021, Huffman had voted in line with
Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.
Opposed legislation
*
Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America – a bill that would "amend the
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) is the primary federal law that regulates the environmental effects of coal mining in the United States.
SMCRA created two programs: one for regulating active coal mines and a second ...
to require state programs for regulation of
surface coal mining to incorporate the necessary rule concerning excess spoil, coal mine waste, and buffers for perennial and intermittent streams published by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement on December 12, 2008."
Huffman opposed the bill, arguing that it should be opposed because the supporters "believe coal companies should be allowed to blow the tops off mountains and dump the waste into streams, no matter what the science says about the consequence for our environment and the public health."
*
Water Rights Protection Act – a bill that would prevent federal agencies from requiring certain entities to relinquish their water rights to the United States in order to use
public lands
In all modern states, a portion of land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land, state land, or Crown land (Australia, and Canada). The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countrie ...
.
The bill was a reaction to the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
's decision to pursue a "new regulation to demand that water rights be transferred to the federal government as a condition for obtaining permits needed to operate 121 ski resorts that cross over federal lands."
Huffman opposed the bill and accused the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power of being unnecessarily "adversarial" and having "unfairly vilified" the Forest Service after a committee hearing about the bill.
Committee assignments
*
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.
History
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was formerly known as the Committee on Public Works a ...
**
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
**
Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
**
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
*
Committee on Natural Resources
**
Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife (chair)
**
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
**
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
*
Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
Caucus memberships
*
Congressional Arts Caucus
The Congressional Arts Caucus is a registered Congressional Member Organization for the US House of Representatives in the 115th Congress.
History
The Congressional Arts Caucus was created in the 1980s as a way for the various members of Congres ...
*
Congressional Freethought Caucus
The Congressional Freethought Caucus is a membership organization in the United States House of Representatives established to promote policy solutions based on reason and science, and to defend the secular character of government. Representatives ...
*
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most Left-wing politics, left-leaning faction of the ...
*
Medicare for All Caucus
Political positions
Abortion
Huffman opposed the
overturning of ''Roe v. Wade'', calling it "sad, outrageous" and saying, "it's going to be tragic for millions of women in this country."
United States Supreme Court
In 2022, Huffman described the U.S. Supreme Court as "extreme, out of touch" and "right-wing" in response to ''
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', , is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. The court's decision overruled both ''R ...
''.
Personal life
Huffman lives in
San Rafael with his wife, Susan, and their two children. His hobby is
winemaking
Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...
.
In a November 9, 2017, interview with ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''s Michelle Boorstein, Huffman said, "I suppose you could say I don't believe in God."
Electoral history
California State Assembly
U.S. House of Representatives
References
Further reading
*
External links
Congressman Jared Huffmanofficial U.S. House website
Jared Huffman for Congresscampaign website
*
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huffman, Jared
1964 births
21st-century American politicians
American atheists
American humanists
American men's volleyball players
Boston College Law School alumni
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
20th-century American politicians
California lawyers
Living people
Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
Politicians from Independence, Missouri
People from San Rafael, California
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's volleyball players