Marin congressman faces challenge from Sonoma County Republican

More than 481,000 voters in November will decide if they want to keep Jared Huffman as their U.S. representative or if they prefer his Republican opponent, Chris Coulombe.

Huffman, a San Rafael Democrat, has represented California’s 2nd Congressional District for nearly 12 years. Coulombe is a Sebastopol resident and a retired Army captain who co-founded the Cannabis Distribution Association.

The Republican candidate previously ran for the 2nd District seat when he finished third behind Republican Douglas Brower in the 2022 primaries. Huffman won the election with 74% of the vote that November.

The district spans Northern California’s coast from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon state line. Last October, 54% of the district’s registered voters were Democrat while 18% were Republican, the Secretary of State’s Office reported.

Huffman said that the “climate crisis” is his highest priority. He said that he is not satisfied after he helped write and pass climate legislation.

“The situation is dire and we’re running out of time, but we can still limit the damage, preserve a livable planet for our kids, and do it in a way that sustains a strong economy and a healthier, more equitable and more peaceful world,” he said.

The congressman said that he hears people’s worries about the high costs of basic needs like housing, food, and gasoline. He noted that he is working to reduce prescription drug costs, targeting price-gouging practices on groceries, and investigating the oil industry for colluding with OPEC to raise U.S. gasoline prices.

“I’m among the leading voices for the definitive solution to our gas price rollercoaster: reducing demand and rapidly transitioning to clean energy,” Huffman said.

Coulombe said that the main issues that he heard from voters across the district are the economy, national security, and a disconnection with Huffman.

“Whether they are asking for the basics, like having a post office in Bolinas, or municipalities asking for help with infrastructure improvements, the refrain is the same: we have been waiting for our representative for years, and our district is suffering from it,” he said.

Regarding national security, particularly at the U.S. border, Coulombe said that he heard sheriffs’ concerns over illegal drugs and criminals reaching the North Coast.

“Many criminals live in the hills, creeks and neighborhoods of our district unchecked,” he said. “Beyond the health and public safety issues, these encampments are causing significant, if not permanent, environmental damage.”

Regarding the economy, he said there is an absence of a plan to restore the national, state and regional economies as well as federal leadership to aid the region.

If elected, Coulombe said that he will prioritize federal funding for projects to strengthen economies. His ideas include extending the SMART line to the San Francisco Transbay Terminal, and also expanding the rail line to Napa and the Mendocino County town of Willits.

“These two projects alone will help many of the struggling industries here in the region decrease their operational costs and improve regional mobility for residents,” he said.

Coulombe also seeks to improve Marin County’s water storage, which he said is 13 billion gallons short of its freshwater needs.

Another idea for a federal investment in Marin County is reactivating the Army’s Nike missile site in the Marin Headlands.

“Re-establishing the anti-missile defense battery will improve our national defense posture and ensure the safety of the West Coast in the event of attack by Russia, China, Iran or nonstate actors,” Coulombe said.

Huffman listed federal investments that he secured for the district including $400 million to seismically retrofit the Golden Gate Bridge and $426 million to invest in wind energy at the Port of Humboldt. He also mentioned investments in flood control for Marin City, water supply improvements, and broadband expansion for rural communities.

Huffman said that investments underway are coming from the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law that he helped write and sponsor.

In his campaign, Coulombe proposes the American Economic Freedom Act, which would suspend federal income taxes on the first $182,000 of a taxpayer’s income for five years.

“I don’t think Americans should end up homeless because our government doesn’t know how to control spending,” he said. “Our politicians are willing to destroy the dollar to make the problems go away until after their term has expired and it is time for them to go. All of them. Republicans included.”

The candidate said that people should remember that the government currently prints any money it needs, and he added that the federal income tax was promoted as only a tax for the rich when Congress authorized it in 1913.

“We now see that lie for what it is,” Coulombe said about the 1913 tax pitch.

Under his proposed tax reform, he said that the average American would keep an extra $30,000 of their own money every year, which would strengthen local economies and increase the tax base for local governments.

Coulombe said that most numbers indicate that 90% of American taxpayers earn less than $182,000.

“The bottom 90% pays approximately $180 billion a year to the federal government of the $2.2 trillion collected annually,” he said. “None of which goes to our budget nor pays down the federal debt, only the holder of America’s debt.”

Huffman does not consider his opponent’s tax reform idea to be a serious policy proposal. He said there are only three ways to pay for a “budget-busting” income tax holiday for five years: a massive tax increase on incomes above $182,000; draconian cuts to defense spending; and “gutting” safety net programs like Social Security and Medicare. Huffman added that Coulombe has not called for those measures.

“In the unlikely event that my opponent believes his tax holiday will magically pay for itself by creating tax revenue from other sources, then he is truly peddling snake oil,” he said.

Huffman described the qualities that he believes that he brings to the district as its representative.

“Being a voice of reason and a bipartisan problem solver whenever possible, but drawing a strong line of resistance when core values are attacked, including fundamental rights, the rule of law, democracy, and our environment,” he said.

Coulombe said that he brings authenticity and real representation to the district, which he believes has been lacking. He said that he barely recognizes the region he grew up in and said that countless childhood friends were forced to move away since they can no longer afford to live there.

“I’ll be here, listening to you, working for you, and making sure that the voices of this district are finally heard in Washington,” he said in his message to voters. “Because to me, this isn’t just a campaign, this is my home.”