Huffman seeks 5th congressional term in 5-way race

Feb. 2--In his most contested election since the 2012 primary, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman is facing four challengers hoping to unseat him to represent California's 2nd District.

Returning to challenge him in the March 3 primary is Republican candidate Dale Mensing of Redway, who was Huffman's challenger in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 general elections. Three first-time congressional candidates are also vying for the seat: Democrat Rachel Moniz of San Rafael; Green Party candidate Melissa Bradley of San Geronimo; and Healdsburg resident Charles "Wally" Coppock of the American Independent Party.

Huffman, a Democrat who lives in San Rafael, is seeking his fifth term in Congress. He said he feels he is just beginning to hit his stride, especially now that the House of Representatives has a Democratic majority and because he chairs the Natural Resources Committee's Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife.

"There is no difference in my message in terms of a reelection campaign and the work I do every day as part of my job," Huffman said. "Doing good work in this job is the best campaign I can run. I work very hard to set a high standard for this district and I hope that it speaks for itself."

Among Huffman's priorities if reelected would be undoing the Trump administration's removal of various environmental protections, fully funding special education, passing a national infrastructure package, continuing health care reforms and enacting "permanent protections" for the coastline and public lands.

Huffman said he would continue to advocate for a Potter Valley Project relicensing compromise to restore salmon habitat and provide water certainty for northern California communities including Marin water districts; improving local broadband infrastructure; getting the San Rafael Canal dredged; and increasing federal support for public and affordable housing.

"Frankly on all values and policy priorities that this district cares about, we're going to have opportunities to make progress under a new administration," Huffman said. "I will be in a great position in Congress to lead a lot of that work."

Mensing declined a phone interview, but responded to questions via email. He said his primary purpose in running for Congress has been to defend the integrity of the Bill of Rights. Among his priorities are protecting states' rights in the 10th Amendment, stating that the "federal government has no legal role in education, health care or housing."

The Fifth Amendment, Mensing argues, protects against abortions, which he calls "genovivisection" or "cutting up alive, the members of an unwanted class of people."

"If elected, I will use the microphone of the office to demonstrate the fact that the leaders of Liberalism seek to eventuate the One World Order or its equivalent, the New World Order," Mensing wrote. "Clear thinking people must understand that the Bill of Rights would not possibly exist in a One World Order."

Mensing wrote that California is "going broke because the Liberals want to bring in illegal aliens to vote Democrat."

Infrastructure is also a part of Mensing's campaign platform. He says Highway 101 between Novato and Petaluma needs to be further widened and that a tunnel should be built to address the at-risk stretch of Highway 101 in Del Norte County known as Last Chance Grade. Mensing wrote that he would work to create a California Environmental Corps that would include road maintenance jobs as well as jobs in forestry, food service, computer technology and carpentry.

Moniz said one of her top priorities is protecting abortion rights, which she would seek to achieve through a constitutional amendment.

"The world, I felt, was falling apart and women's rights were slipping away, and I felt so powerless," Moniz said. "I felt that I have to do something, I have to get in the fight. There should be a constitutional amendment that protects a woman's right to choose, to protect us once and for all so women can stop fighting down here for fundamental rights."

As to why she is running now, Moniz said her background and experience -- including rising from poverty in upstate New York and caring for her late husband, who was a Vietnam veteran with bipolar disorder -- provide insight and better understanding of the range of issues 2nd District constituents face. Moniz said both housing and health care should be a right for citizens, and she supports initiatives such as the Green New Deal, "Medicare for all," campaign finance reform, improving veterans' services, increasing funding for affordable housing and investing in infrastructure.

"I want to represent the people trying to make ends meet so they can stay in the community that they love," Moniz said. "I want a future for my children. I want my daughters to have somewhere to grow up and when they look back at this time in history I want them to know I did something."

Bradley said she decided to run for Congress because she said it would allow her take action on the issues she cares most about. While she said running against a well-funded incumbent is a "long shot," she said she thinks Huffman isn't able to relate well to his constituents and is not tackling important issues as well as he could.

"I feel like I can relate to people better than him and I would be a better advocate, I think, for the majority of the constituents," said Bradley, who ran unsuccessfully for the Marin Healthcare District board in 2018.

Among the policy issues she would advocate for include health care for all; increasing funding for affordable housing and homeless services; criminal justice reform; national legalization of cannabis; significantly reducing the military budget; campaign finance reform; and incremental environmental reforms in trade and manufacturing regulations.

"We should be spending that money on programs here like long-term solutions for homeless people and better facilities for mentally ill people," Bradley said of military spending cuts. "I swear if I was in Congress I would be such a go-getter and I would want to get things done."

The Independent Journal was unable to contact Coppock, his listed campaign staff or the American Independent Party after repeated attempts. Coppock did not list contact information on forms provided to the Sonoma County and Marin County elections offices, and no campaign website was available as of Thursday. No contact information was available though the Secretary of State's office or Federal Election Commission. Phone numbers and an email address associated with his former Santa Rosa law practice were either disconnected or attempts to contact were not returned.

According to the state bar, Coppock has had several disciplinary actions taken against him, including having his attorney's license suspended, since being admitted in 1978. Coppock was disbarred in February 2019 for trust account violations, according to the state.

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Congressional candidates

The five candidates seeking to represent California 2nd District in the March 3 primary.

Melissa Bradley

Age: 48

Education: General Educational Development certificate

Occupation: Mother; former business owner

Experience: Former business owner and volunteer for Whistlestop, Performing Stars and the Red Cross

Charles "Wally" Coppock

No information provided.

Jared Huffman

Age: 55

Occupation: U.S. congressman

Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara; law degree, Boston College

Experience: Four-term incumbent congressman; three-term state assemblyman; three-term Marin Municipal Water District board member

Dale Mensing

Age: 61

Occupation: Cashier

Education: Graduate of Bob Jones Academy, Greenville, S.C.; graduate of U.S. Navy Neuro-Psychiatric Technician School

Experience: Insurance agent; postmaster of Laytonville

Rachel Moniz

Age: 50

Occupation: Chief operations officer for Northwestern Mutual in San Francisco

Education: Bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration, Sonoma State University

Experience: Twenty years of corporate experience; single mother of two daughters

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