Representative Huffman Political Analysis
Intro
From California’s 2nd Congressional District, Representative Jared W. Huffman is a Democrat from the Northern region of California. Beginning with Huffman’s first experiences, he began as a local government official, and then moved up a state representative, and then all the way to Congress, where he is in his 3rd term. Huffman’s ideology might be considered a stereotype of California, that is to say, solidly a progressive Democrat, although he has a particular focus on environmental policy. Therefore, when examining the election data, it is no surprise that Huffman has dominated the competition, especially considering the location of his district. While some, namely Republicans would consider Huffman a Progressive extremist, it would appear that this is just an ineffective misnomer upon examination of policies introduced and general views of how the government should function.
Biography
Like many politicians, Representative Huffman began his career with university, first, graduating magna cum laude from UC Santa Barbara in 1987, and later graduating cum laude from Boston College Law School in 1990 (Huffman, n.d.). Unlike other politicians, before attending Boston College for law school, Huffman was a champion volleyball player, playing for the USA Men’s Volleyball Team, which was ranked number one in the …show more content…
world in 1987 when he played (Capps, 2016). After graduation, Huffman began his career as a public interest attorney, with major victories in the areas of gender and race discrimination. One of Huffman’s most notable accomplishments is his work for the National Resource Defense Council, in which he created an agreement to restore a 153-mile stretch of the San Joaquin River in California’s Central Valley (Huffman, n.d.).
Politically speaking, Representative Huffman’s first political aspirations became apparent in 1994 when he began involving himself in local government.
During the early stages of Huffman’s political career, he was first elected to the position of Director for Marin County’s largest special water district, the Marin Municipal Water District, with a tenure of twelve years, from 1994 to 2006 (Huffman, n.d.). Although Director of a Municipal Water District is not incredibly noteworthy, the position would lead him to his next political position. Indeed, after Huffman’s tenure as Director, he began to set his sights a bit higher, to the California State
Assembly.
Starting in 2006, Representative Huffman sought election to the California State Assembly, and in doing so he would go after California’s 6th State Assembly District, which includes El Dorado County, Placer County, and Sacramento. As a Democrat, Huffman would first have to win the Democratic nomination in his district, which was greatly contested, with seven total contestants. Despite the great challenge, Huffman overcame the established Democrats in the primary by a slim margin and won the nomination in the primary on June 2006 (McPherson, 2006). The main contestation to Huffman in the general election came from the Republican, Michael Hartnett, who ran unopposed in his primary (McPherson, 2006). Unlike Huffman’s experience in the primary, the general election of 2006 was a landslide victory for Huffman, as he more than doubled the Republican opposition’s votes (McPherson, 2006).
During Representative Huffman’s time as a California State Assembly Representative, he authored several bills and held positions on the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, as well as the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee (Capps, 2016). Clearly, Huffman utilizes his experience from his tenure as the Director of the Marin County Municipal Water District to further his environmentalist agenda. For example, one of Huffman’s most notable pieces of legislation in California would be CAB 376 which outlawed the sale and distribution of shark fins, further highlighting his dedication to the environment (Huffman, 2013). Subsequently, Huffman would easily be elected in the California State General election in 2008 and 2010 due to his incumbency (Bowen, 2010).
Later, in 2012 Representative Huffman began his foray into the Federal government in which he would run for election to the House in California’s 2nd congressional district. It is important to note that Huffman did not change his district from the 6th to the 2nd, instead, he had been redistricted ("Citizens Redistricting Commission Final Report on 2011 Redistricting", 2011). Additionally, Huffman saw the prime opportunity to take the district because the incumbent, Lynn Woolsey was stepping down, meaning that he had a fair shot at the election without the incumbency effect impacting his chances. Indeed, Huffman would win the 2012 election with a landslide victory, just as he had as a California State Assembly representative, against the Republican Dan Roberts with a margin of nearly 42% of the vote (Bowen, 2012). Similarly, Huffman was elected in 2014 and 2016 with similar margins to his victory in 2012.
In terms of Ideology, Representative Huffman could be pegged as a Progressive Liberal, that focuses in particular, on environmental policy. For example, Huffman’s more Progressive side shows through his support of Progressive Health Care Reform, before his position as a Representative in Congress. Huffman, along with his Progressive colleagues in the Progressive States Network took a staunch stance in favor of passing comprehensive health care reform that would heavily involve the government ("State Legislators for Progressive Health Care Reform", 2009). Another indication that Huffman is a progressive is his membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is the bastion of Progressive and Democratic Socialist perspectives alike in Congress (Huffman, n.d.).
Despite Representative Huffman’s progressive tendencies, his primary goal, however, is environmentalism which shows both when looking at his past as a lawyer, during which he first worked for the NRDC, an essential environmental protection agency, and then as a California General Assembly representative, heading the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, as chair on the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee (Capps, 2016). Furthermore, Huffman is a member of many environmentally focused Congressional Caucuses, such as the Safe Climate Caucus, the Sustainable Energy, and Environment Coalition, and the Wild Salmon Caucus to name a few (Huffman, n.d.). Additionally, in terms of policy successfully introduced and passed, Huffman created the California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2013, which expanded the boundary of the California Coastal National Monument to another 1,255 acres of land, requiring the BLM to manage the land as though it were conserving it (Huffman 2). Even from the policies that Huffman has supported, he is a clear environmentalist. For instance, acts such as the BREATHE and FRESHER which focus on reigning in fracking practices across the U.S were co-sponsored by Huffman ("Cosponsors - H.R.1154 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): BREATHE Act", 2013).
In addition to having a history of environmentalism, Representative Huffman is assigned to two Committees; the Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, both of which allow for a substantial influence on the U.S. environmental policies. Additionally, Huffman holds many Subcommittee chairs including; the Ranking member chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans, a chair on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, a chair on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, a chair on the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, a chair on the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, and a chair on the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment (Huffman, n.d.). Each of these chairs on both committees and their respective subcommittees further enhances Huffman’s power to enact and have a say in the U.S. federal government’s environmental policies.
Representative Huffman’s legislative interests also further the idea that he is an environmentalist at heart. For instance, Huffman sponsored H.R. 5316 in the 114th congress, titled Healthy Soils and Rangelands Act, which was an act that would establish a carbon sequestration project with the goal of reducing the environmental impact of Carbon on the surrounding area, unfortunately, the bill never passed the House (H.R. 5316, 2015). Another example of Huffman’s sponsorship is H.R. 1411 in the 113th congress, titled California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2013, which was an act that would include the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands as part of the National Landscape Conservation System, allowing for environmental conservation of some California land, however, the bill only passed the House, but died in the Senate (H.R. 1411, 2013). As a co-sponsor to bills, Huffman has had more success, for example, H.R. 6452 of the 114th Congress, titled the Ensuring Access to Pacific Fisheries Act, initially sponsored by Republican Aumua Amata, Huffman co-sponsored the bill, and the bill was enacted on December 16th, 2016 (H.R. 6452, 2016). The fisheries act implemented the convention on the conservation and management of high seas fisheries and resources in the North Pacific Ocean, the convention allows for rules and regulations to be put in place on fisheries with the intent of preventing overfishing (H.R. 6452, 2016).
From California’s 2nd Congressional District, Representative Jared W. Huffman is a Democrat from the Northern region of California. Beginning with Huffman’s first experiences, he began as a local government official, and then moved up a state representative, and then all the way to Congress, where he is in his 3rd term. Huffman’s ideology might be considered a stereotype of California, that is to say, solidly a progressive Democrat, although he has a particular focus on environmental policy. Therefore, when examining the election data, it is no surprise that Huffman has dominated the competition, especially considering the location of his district. While some, namely Republicans would consider Huffman a Progressive extremist, it would appear that this is just an ineffective misnomer upon examination of policies introduced and general views of how the government should function.
Biography
Like many politicians, Representative Huffman began his career with university, first, graduating magna cum laude from UC Santa Barbara in 1987, and later graduating cum laude from Boston College Law School in 1990 (Huffman, n.d.). Unlike other politicians, before attending Boston College for law school, Huffman was a champion volleyball player, playing for the USA Men’s Volleyball Team, which was ranked number one in the …show more content…
world in 1987 when he played (Capps, 2016). After graduation, Huffman began his career as a public interest attorney, with major victories in the areas of gender and race discrimination. One of Huffman’s most notable accomplishments is his work for the National Resource Defense Council, in which he created an agreement to restore a 153-mile stretch of the San Joaquin River in California’s Central Valley (Huffman, n.d.).
Politically speaking, Representative Huffman’s first political aspirations became apparent in 1994 when he began involving himself in local government.
During the early stages of Huffman’s political career, he was first elected to the position of Director for Marin County’s largest special water district, the Marin Municipal Water District, with a tenure of twelve years, from 1994 to 2006 (Huffman, n.d.). Although Director of a Municipal Water District is not incredibly noteworthy, the position would lead him to his next political position. Indeed, after Huffman’s tenure as Director, he began to set his sights a bit higher, to the California State
Assembly.
Starting in 2006, Representative Huffman sought election to the California State Assembly, and in doing so he would go after California’s 6th State Assembly District, which includes El Dorado County, Placer County, and Sacramento. As a Democrat, Huffman would first have to win the Democratic nomination in his district, which was greatly contested, with seven total contestants. Despite the great challenge, Huffman overcame the established Democrats in the primary by a slim margin and won the nomination in the primary on June 2006 (McPherson, 2006). The main contestation to Huffman in the general election came from the Republican, Michael Hartnett, who ran unopposed in his primary (McPherson, 2006). Unlike Huffman’s experience in the primary, the general election of 2006 was a landslide victory for Huffman, as he more than doubled the Republican opposition’s votes (McPherson, 2006).
During Representative Huffman’s time as a California State Assembly Representative, he authored several bills and held positions on the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, as well as the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee (Capps, 2016). Clearly, Huffman utilizes his experience from his tenure as the Director of the Marin County Municipal Water District to further his environmentalist agenda. For example, one of Huffman’s most notable pieces of legislation in California would be CAB 376 which outlawed the sale and distribution of shark fins, further highlighting his dedication to the environment (Huffman, 2013). Subsequently, Huffman would easily be elected in the California State General election in 2008 and 2010 due to his incumbency (Bowen, 2010).
Later, in 2012 Representative Huffman began his foray into the Federal government in which he would run for election to the House in California’s 2nd congressional district. It is important to note that Huffman did not change his district from the 6th to the 2nd, instead, he had been redistricted ("Citizens Redistricting Commission Final Report on 2011 Redistricting", 2011). Additionally, Huffman saw the prime opportunity to take the district because the incumbent, Lynn Woolsey was stepping down, meaning that he had a fair shot at the election without the incumbency effect impacting his chances. Indeed, Huffman would win the 2012 election with a landslide victory, just as he had as a California State Assembly representative, against the Republican Dan Roberts with a margin of nearly 42% of the vote (Bowen, 2012). Similarly, Huffman was elected in 2014 and 2016 with similar margins to his victory in 2012.
In terms of Ideology, Representative Huffman could be pegged as a Progressive Liberal, that focuses in particular, on environmental policy. For example, Huffman’s more Progressive side shows through his support of Progressive Health Care Reform, before his position as a Representative in Congress. Huffman, along with his Progressive colleagues in the Progressive States Network took a staunch stance in favor of passing comprehensive health care reform that would heavily involve the government ("State Legislators for Progressive Health Care Reform", 2009). Another indication that Huffman is a progressive is his membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is the bastion of Progressive and Democratic Socialist perspectives alike in Congress (Huffman, n.d.).
Despite Representative Huffman’s progressive tendencies, his primary goal, however, is environmentalism which shows both when looking at his past as a lawyer, during which he first worked for the NRDC, an essential environmental protection agency, and then as a California General Assembly representative, heading the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, as chair on the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee (Capps, 2016). Furthermore, Huffman is a member of many environmentally focused Congressional Caucuses, such as the Safe Climate Caucus, the Sustainable Energy, and Environment Coalition, and the Wild Salmon Caucus to name a few (Huffman, n.d.). Additionally, in terms of policy successfully introduced and passed, Huffman created the California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2013, which expanded the boundary of the California Coastal National Monument to another 1,255 acres of land, requiring the BLM to manage the land as though it were conserving it (Huffman 2). Even from the policies that Huffman has supported, he is a clear environmentalist. For instance, acts such as the BREATHE and FRESHER which focus on reigning in fracking practices across the U.S were co-sponsored by Huffman ("Cosponsors - H.R.1154 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): BREATHE Act", 2013).
In addition to having a history of environmentalism, Representative Huffman is assigned to two Committees; the Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, both of which allow for a substantial influence on the U.S. environmental policies. Additionally, Huffman holds many Subcommittee chairs including; the Ranking member chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans, a chair on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, a chair on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, a chair on the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, a chair on the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, and a chair on the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment (Huffman, n.d.). Each of these chairs on both committees and their respective subcommittees further enhances Huffman’s power to enact and have a say in the U.S. federal government’s environmental policies.
Representative Huffman’s legislative interests also further the idea that he is an environmentalist at heart. For instance, Huffman sponsored H.R. 5316 in the 114th congress, titled Healthy Soils and Rangelands Act, which was an act that would establish a carbon sequestration project with the goal of reducing the environmental impact of Carbon on the surrounding area, unfortunately, the bill never passed the House (H.R. 5316, 2015). Another example of Huffman’s sponsorship is H.R. 1411 in the 113th congress, titled California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2013, which was an act that would include the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands as part of the National Landscape Conservation System, allowing for environmental conservation of some California land, however, the bill only passed the House, but died in the Senate (H.R. 1411, 2013). As a co-sponsor to bills, Huffman has had more success, for example, H.R. 6452 of the 114th Congress, titled the Ensuring Access to Pacific Fisheries Act, initially sponsored by Republican Aumua Amata, Huffman co-sponsored the bill, and the bill was enacted on December 16th, 2016 (H.R. 6452, 2016). The fisheries act implemented the convention on the conservation and management of high seas fisheries and resources in the North Pacific Ocean, the convention allows for rules and regulations to be put in place on fisheries with the intent of preventing overfishing (H.R. 6452, 2016).