Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman takes his seat Thursday in the 113th Congress, facing big issues — budget cutbacks, the national debt limit and gun control — with a remarkably diverse freshman class and, he believes, a will to get things done.

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.

The eight-way race for Santa Rosa City Council took a surprise turn Monday when two candidates most political observers expected to be rivals endorsed each other and called for a return to political collaboration in the city.

Politicians and union leaders rallied Monday at the annual Labor Day breakfast in Santa Rosa, emphatically urging the crowd to vote for Democratic and labor candidates and issues.

The leader of Alexander Valley’s Wappo Indians on Thursday disagreed sharply with Rep. Mike Thompson’s assertion that the tribe will try to build a casino if it attains federal recognition.

Sonoma County voters on Tuesday will begin the process of replacing retiring Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and filling a heavily contested Assembly seat, likely creating first-ever runoffs between two Democrats. In addition, with new district boundaries in force for the first time, voters will have a say in four other races for Congress, the Assembly and state Senate. Tuesday’s election, the first statewide vote under California’s top two primary system, is expected to set up three November run-offs between two Democrats instead of a Democrat and a Republican.

Rep. Mike Thompson is dominating fund-raising in the race for his Congressional seat as he seeks an eighth term in Congress. The St. Helena Democrat reported that his campaign has $1.2 million in cash on hand. Meanwhile, his two Republican opponents raised what appears to be less than 1 percent of Thompson’s war chest between them.

Two Republican newcomers are all that stand between Rep. Mike Thompson and an eighth straight term in Congress. Thompson, a Democrat from St. Helena who has never lost an election, has more than $1.2 million in campaign cash. His opponents in the June 5 primary — Stewart John Cilley of Rohnert Park and Randy Loftin of Napa — have less than $10,000 between them. Democrats dominate the new 5th Congressional District, which includes Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati and Sonoma Valley, with 52 percent of registered voters, compared with 22 percent Republicans.

Emotions in Sonoma County ranged from elation and praise to resigned acceptance after President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that he supports same-sex marriage. Advocates were exhilarated that Obama declared his support after remaining elusive on the topic for years. And opponents, while disagreeing with Obama’s position, said they were not surprised.

Cotati’s City Hall’s plan to remake its downtown with $3.7 million in what were redevelopment funds have taken a blow with the state’s rejection of the city’s proposal.