Imagine a Republican county supervisor from Crescent City winning the North Coast seat in Congress and holding onto it for 20 years. That’s what happened when Don Clausen, a World War II veteran, won the 1962 election in a district that stretched — as it does now, with some variations — from Marin County to Oregon. But that area of rugged coastline and liberal-leaning voters now has no Republicans in Congress or the Legislature, nor does any GOP candidate have a shouting chance of success in today’s election.

Political consultant Paul Andersen of Petaluma said Monday he is responsible for an anonymous website that posted criticisms of congressional candidate Stacey Lawson.

Remember Frank Riggs? We haven’t heard much about the former North Coast congressman since he left office in 1999 and then quit California for more Republican-friendly Arizona. Now, he’s back in the news, serving as Arizona campaign chairman for GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum.

If the first map released by the California Redistricting Commission brought the second-guessers out of the woodwork, the second one is a topic custom-built for the entire spectrum of wonks and political junkies. PD columnist Gaye LeBaron discusses the history of redistricting in Sonoma County with an old friend, Sam the Shark.