By Chris Samson

Which candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives will you vote for in the Nov. 3 general election? The answer may not be as simple as you think.

For more than a decade, Petaluma has been represented in the U.S. House by Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. But following California's recent congressional redistricting, some Petaluma residents remain in the 2nd Congressional District, represented by Huffman, while others are now in the 4th District, represented by Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.

The change stems from Proposition 50, approved by California voters in November 2025. The measure replaced the state's congressional maps with legislatively drawn maps in response to a Republican-backed redistricting effort in Texas that was intended to increase the number of Republican seats in Congress. California's measure was promoted as the "Election Rigging Response Act." The new maps are being used for the 2026 congressional elections.

The new 2nd District stretches across a broad swath of Northern California, including coastal communities as well as more rural inland areas. The result is a district with a different political and geographic makeup from Huffman's previous district.

But determining which congressman represents you is not as simple as saying that Huffman represents ZIP code 94952 on the west side of Petaluma while Thompson represents 94954 on the east side.

In fact, the U.S. House's own "Find Your Representative" website says that both 94952 and 94954 overlap the two congressional districts. The House therefore requires a street address to determine which district a voter lives in.

You can check your congressional district by consulting your sample ballot or by using the Sonoma County voter-information website: California voter information and sample ballot.

You can also use the U.S. House's ZIP-code lookup, although you will need to enter your street address for an exact answer: U.S. House "Find Your Representative."

In the 2nd Congressional District, incumbent Democrat Jared Huffman is being challenged by Republican Robin Littau. In the 4th District, Democratic incumbent Mike Thompson is facing Democrat Eric Jones.

So before you decide which congressional candidate to vote for on Nov. 3, make sure you know which district you live in.

Ballots for the Nov. 3 general election in Sonoma County began going out in the mail on Monday, Oct. 5.

Chris Samson is a contributor to Petaluma Voice. He can be reached at news@petalumavoice.org.