Seven candidates for California’s 2nd Congressional District met Thursday in Redding, offering competing visions for representing a geographically and politically diverse region.
The race comes after voters approved new district boundaries in November under Proposition 50. The district now stretches from the Northern California coast to inland counties including Shasta, Siskiyou and Modoc — some of the most Republican areas in the state.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman has won reelection seven times, each with more than 70% of the vote. But the redrawn district introduces new political dynamics as it expands beyond his longtime coastal base.
Seven candidates appeared at the forum, though unaffiliated candidate Nicholette Hahn Niman did not attend.
Republican candidate Paul Saulsbury said the district’s diversity presents a challenge.
“This is a very diverse district going from the redwoods to the ranch lands,” Saulsbury said. “What’s going to work in Marin is not going to work in Modoc. What’s going to work in Siskiyou is not going to work in Sonoma.”
Candidates identified a range of top concerns, including wildfire risk and food security, but several emphasized health care access.
“We know that the Trump administration has cut the budgets for Medicare and Medicaid, and the new budget that he’s proposing is going to cut it even more and put one and a half trillion dollars into war,” Democratic candidate Rose Yee said. “We need to call that out, and you need a representative who is willing to stand up and call it for what it is.”
Candidates also addressed national political issues, including a Republican-backed proposal known as the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
“The Democrats don’t want this because then they won’t have anyone voting for them,” Republican candidate Angelita Valles said. “I believe in voter integrity, and I support the SAVE Act.”
Huffman has won reelection seven times, each with more than 70% of the vote. His previous district focused on the Northern California coast, but the new boundaries now include Shasta, Siskiyou and Modoc counties, among the state’s more conservative regions.
“This will also decide whether this district is represented by someone who will push back on a president, who is in many ways out of control,” Huffman said. “That’s what our Constitution was designed to do.”
Republican candidate Tim Geist focused on artificial intelligence and its potential impact on employment, linking it to immigration policy.
“Many more jobs will be lost, especially people that went to university,” Geist said. “So we will need to control our borders better, because there will be plenty of people already here without work.”
Other candidates, including Yee and unaffiliated candidate Greg Burgess, criticized recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Burgess said he worked at the border for two years as a quarantine public health officer.
"We need to have these officers," Burgess said. "A lot of them are paramilitary and need empathy training.”
Despite the crowded field, challengers face long odds against Huffman, who has served more than a decade in Congress and reported more than $1 million in available campaign funds.
“When something is not working, we don't get on the hamster wheel and keep doing it over and over and over again,” Republican candidate Robin Littau said. “When the system is broken, there has to be a change.”
Under California’s primary system, the top two vote-getters in the June primary will advance to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation. That means two candidates from the same party could face off in the general election.
