Jared Huffman

In April 2018, Huffman, together with Jerry McNerney, Jamie Raskin, and Dan Kildee, launched the Congressional Freethought Caucus. Its stated goals include "pushing public policy formed on the basis of reason, science, and moral values", promoting the "separation of church and state," opposing discrimination against "atheists, agnostics, humanists, seekers, religious and nonreligious persons", among others. Huffman and Raskin will act as co-chairs.

In an interview with The Washington Post' s Michelle Boorstein published November 9, 2017, Huffman stated "I suppose you could say I don't believe in God." Huffman stopped short of saying he was an atheist but rather describes himself as a non-religious humanist.

In his first re-election campaign in 2014, Huffman dominated the open primary, receiving 67.9% of the vote against 22.3% for second-place finisher Dale Mensing, a Republican. Huffman went on to defeat Mensing in the fall general election by 75 to 25%. The 2016 results were similar, with Huffman receiving 68.3% of the primary vote against 15.7% for Mensing, who again finished second, and defeating Mensing in the general election by 76.5% to 23.5%. In the June 2018 open primary, Huffman received 72.5% of the vote; Mensing finished second with 20.9%. The two faced each other in the November 2018 runoff, where Huffman was re-elected with 77.0% of the vote.

Huffman finished first in the top-two primary with 37% of the vote. In November, Huffman defeated Republican candidate Dan Roberts 71%–29%.

In 2008, Huffman sponsored a bill (AB 2950), which he wrote with internet attorney Daniel Balsam that aimed to close what its proponents characterized as loopholes in the CAN-SPAM Act which made it more difficult to bring lawsuits against deceptive spammers. Although the bill passed the State Assembly and Senate, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill. On February 14, 2011, Jared Huffman cosponsored a bill with Paul Fong, California Assembly Bill 376, to make it illegal to possess, distribute, or sell shark fins, unless for research or commercial purposes.

In the June 2010 California primary, Huffman easily defeated a fellow Democratic challenger Patrick Connally. Huffman faced Republican nominee Robert Stephens in the November 2010 general election. He won overwhelmingly 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 California term limits, Huffman would have been unable to seek a fourth Assembly term in 2012.

Huffman faced two opponents in the November 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.

From 2006 to 2012, Huffman was a member of the California State Assembly, representing the 6th district. Huffman chaired the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee and also chaired the Assembly Environmental Caucus. He was elected to Congress in November 2012 with more than 70% of the vote, defeating Republican candidate Dan Roberts. His congressional district covers the North Coast from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border.

Huffman won the Democratic nomination for the 6th district in a hotly contested primary in June 2006 in which he surprised the political establishment with a victory over opponents Pamela Torliatt, a Petaluma city councilwoman, and Cynthia Murray, a Marin County Supervisor who was initially considered the frontrunner. Huffman also defeated Assistant State Attorney General Damon Connelly, Marin County Democratic Chairman John Alden, and sociologist Alex Easton-Brown.

Huffman defeated Republican opponent Dr. Michael Hartnett by a more than 2:1 margin in the general election on November 7, 2006.

Upon his swearing-in on December 4, 2006, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez immediately named Huffman the Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. In August 2008, the new Assembly Speaker Karen Bass named Huffman to Chair the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee.

Huffman lives in San Rafael with his wife Susan and their two children, a daughter, Abigail (born c. 2000) and a son, Nathan (born c. 2003).

Huffman graduated from William Chrisman High School in 1982 and later received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science magna cum laude from University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. At UCSB, Huffman was a three-time All-American volleyball player. Huffman was a member of the USA Volleyball Team in 1987 when the team was ranked #1 in the world and had recently won the World Championship. He went on to graduate cum laude from Boston College Law School in 1990.

Jared William Huffman (born February 18, 1964) is an American politician who has been the U.S. Representative for California's 2nd congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party.